Merida, Hiccup, Rapunzel, and Jack: Modern World
by princessoutrageous
Summary: Merida, Rapunzel, Jack and Hiccup cross dimensions only to find themselves in a world parallel to their own. There are many secrets buried in that world, secrets they never thought imaginable. In all seventeen years of their lives, they were shielded by their parents from the truth. But to know the truth, there is a price. And in that price, evil lurks.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Merida squinted against the bright light. Someone was jumping on her. Another was pulling on her hair. And still she felt another make unbearable noise. Merida groaned and tried to sit up.

"BOYS!" Merida yelled. "GET YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF OF ME!" Then, turning to the third one, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Hamish! If you don't stop banging those cymbals together you will face excruciating pain!"

The boys snickered and sauntered away. Merida sighed and she sat up. Then she smiled. _Boys will be boys._ She chuckled to herself. She looked at her clock; seven o'clock in the morning. She knew it was time to get up, get ready, and go to school. Merida got up and trudged to the bathroom. She groaned and looked at herself in the mirror. Her red hair was a mess, which didn't surprise her; her blue eyes were still squinting. _Yep,_ she thought. _Definitely need a shower. _ And that's what she did.

About forty-five minutes later, Merida walked to her midnight blue Mercedes. Her parents had gotten it for her seventeenth birthday. She hadn't been very surprised at this, of course. Her parents have been buying her cars since she turned sixteen and had first gotten her driver's license. She had gotten a Jaguar, a BMW, a Ferrari, and finally, a Mercedes. Her personal favorite was the Ferrari, but she didn't like showing off so she often drove either the Beamer or the Mercedes. Her mom uses the Jaguar most of the time, and she doesn't mind. Anyway, Merida listened to music as she drove to her best friend's house to pick her up. As she drove, she smiled at the thought of her best friend. Rapunzel had always been there for her for as long as she can remember. Merida couldn't have asked for a better friend.

As she pulled up to Rapunzel's house, she beeped her horn. Almost immediately the door opened and slammed shut as Rapunzel bounded down the stairs waving at her. Her long blonde hair that she cut every month was tied into a messy bun. She wore Converse shoes, skinny jeans, and a green shirt that hugged her slim frame. Her school bag hung casually over one of her delicate shoulders. Merida smiled as she leaned over to unlock the door for her. Rapunzel slid in gracefully and gave Merida a peck on the cheek.

"Hey Mer," Rapunzel said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Uh… Yeah…. I did." Merida dutifully replied.

"And the boys?" Rapunzel asked, raising an eyebrow. "Were they being good?"

"They were like wee little bears!" Merida exclaimed, laughing along with Rapunzel as they drove to school. It had been a joke they invented since Merida and her family went hunting for bears and her three triplet brothers, Hamish, Hubert and Harris, killed a giant brown bear using sticks. Merida never did find out how on earth they did that, but she has had more respect for them since then. As they neared the school, teenagers were already crowding; the lawn, the hallway, the parking lot. Merida groaned and said, "I don't think we're going to find a parking space Punzie."

Rapunzel nodded. "That's a lot of cars." After finally finding a parking lot at the very end of the school parking area, they got out and were immediately surrounded by their friends. They both said hi to them and they started talking to each other.

"Hey, there's that Scottish girl we've all been waiting for!" Several of the girls exclaimed.

Merida laughed and shakes her head, making her red curls bounce. Being the only Scottish girl in school wasn't so bad.

Suddenly, they heard a low rumble of a car. They whipped their heads around to see a red Lamborghini park right next to them. The girls held their breath and the boys started staring. The door on the driver's side opened and Merida heard Rapunzel gasp. A boy about their age stepped out of the low Lamborghini and took off his shades. His eyes were a blend of blue and brown. He wore low slung jeans and sneakers. His navy blue t-shirt accented his wide shoulder and muscular chest. And he had….. _White hair?! _ Merida thought. _What kind of teenager has white hair?! Maybe he dyed it. _ He draped a blue hoodie over his shirt and reached in to take his bag. He muttered something to the boy on the other side of the seat. The door on that side opened and another boy came out. This time Merida gasped. Okay, so did a few other girls like when the first boy came out. The boy had dark auburn hair that reached to his shoulders. He had green eyes and he wore similar clothes to the other guy only instead of a hoodie, he had a leather jacket. And he had on a white shirt. He also wore low slung jeans and Converse shoes. He was also as muscular and wide shouldered as his friend. As he reached in for his bag, they were immediately surrounded by girls that flirted and boys that admired their car.

Rapunzel's green eyes widened and Merida laughed. "Come on Rap. You can stop drooling now." Then she tugged on Rapunzel's arm, leading her to school. "We'll be late for our class." They both walked away, ignoring the newcomers; looks like they won't have any trouble fitting in.

As they sat in Science class, the door opened and Principal Princeton entered and behind him the two newcomers. All the girls in the class room except Merida and Rapunzel sighed dreamily.

"Hello class," the principal said. "These young men here just transferred here all the way from Europe." He gestured to the boy with white hair. "This is Jack Frost." Jack smiled, flashing them all a straight line of perfect white teeth. Rapunzel sighed and Merida playfully bumped her shoulder. Both girls giggled.

"And this young man here," the principal continued. "Is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III."

A lot of the girls giggled and the boys laughed quietly. Hiccup blushed.

_That's a cool name. _Merida thought. _Wait, what? HICCUP?!_

The teacher smiled and gestured for the boys. "You are just in time for our science experiment." She led them to the front of the class room. "Jack will be partnered with…." The girls all closed their eyes and crossed their fingers; except Rapunzel and Merida. "Don't pick me, don't pick me…" Merida heard Rapunzel muttering.

"Rapunzel." The teacher said. The girls groaned and some of them whimpered. Rapunzel looked at Merida with panicked eyes. Jack smiled and came over to sit beside Rapunzel

"Hiccup will be partnered with…." Again the girls crossed their fingers except Merida. She was quite confident that she will not be- "Merida."

Merida's mouth popped open as the other girls groaned. Rapunzel giggled. Merida frowned as Hiccup made his way towards her table. _Great…. just great. _Merida thought. _This is going to be a long, long experiment. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

(Rapunzel's POV)

I was practically hyperventilating when he sat down next to me. But I knew that I didn't really like him. I mean, half the girls in school are already after him and I don't want to be one of them. However, I have to admit, I like him. Just a little bit.

Anyway, he sat down next to me, setting his bag down. He leaned in toward me and I can't help noticing his eyes. It was brownish blue. What kind of eyes are those? Not to mention the hair; white hair. Somehow those eyes and hair made him look weird…. In a nice way.

"Hi," he said, his hand outstretched. "I'm Jack." He smiled and a flash of perfect white teeth showed. And by perfect, I mean PERFECT perfect. His teeth were straight and white. Seriously?! Now I'm admiring his teeth? Nice, Rapunzel, that's really nice.

I took his hand in mine and shook. "I'm Rapunzel," I said. He smiled even wider and I blurted out, "I'm sugar hyper." Jack raised an eyebrow and I blushed red. . WORD. Just bury me alive! I am so embarrassed.

I was still red when our teacher, Mrs. James, started teaching (thank goodness!). I looked over to where Merida sat and giggled. She looked so bored. She was slumped on her chair with her green hoodie pulled over her head, showing only half of her face and her red hair was covered. Hiccup, on the other hand, was not so bored. He was listening intently and nodding from time to time every time the teacher said something important. For a seventeen-year-old, he was kind of tall. Six feet something, I think. His face was also quite handsome; his chin was square and sprinkled lightly with hair on the top and bottom of his full lips. He was also lanky and, like Jack, quite muscular. I only realized I was staring for too long when Jack nudged me and I looked at him. He had this weird look on his face and I blushed. Was there jealousy I detected? Jack gestured toward the teacher with his head, indicating that I should listen. I quickly turned my gaze back to Mrs. James.

"The experiment will not take place in this classroom," She said. And I leaped in joy mentally. "Instead, you and your partner will do it at home." I groaned, and so did Merida.

She gave us the instructions and we were dismissed.

As students filed out of the classroom, Jack (of all people), approached me. I smiled as politely as I can, although seeing his handsome grinning face made me want to punch him and hug him at the same time. How many girls have fallen for that?

"Hey," he said, rubbing the back of his neck; it made him look cuter, honestly. "I was just, uh…. Wondering…..you know…. If we could… uh, get some ice cream sometime." I nearly choked. And Merida, thank goodness, interrupted before I could say anything else that would embarrass me.

"Ice cream?! We'd love to!" She faked spontaneous. "But you know what? We have a LOT of homework to do," she nudged me. "Don't we, Rapunzel?" She asked me through her fake grin.

"Uh, yeah!" I replied. "Lots and lots of homework!" Jack looked at me with an eyebrow raised, clearly not believing me. Oops. I think I said it too loud and fake.

"Yeah, you guys should totally come," Hiccup said behind Merida. "I don't think you have much homework to do, right?"

As I nodded in confession, my eye caught something around Hiccup's neck. It was a necklace. Now you might be wondering why that necklace captivated me. The reason was because it was a lot like Merida's, only his bore a mark of a dragon and Merida's was a bear. Apart from that, the shape, texture and color were the same; circle with a silver outline, a bit rough, and the color inside the silver outline was green. The symbols of the bear and the dragon were engraved on top of the green. Probably jade.

"Where did you get that necklace?" I asked him, gesturing casually to the necklace.

"Oh," he said, looking down at his neck. "My grandfather gave this to me before he went missing."

"Missing?" Merida asked. "How did he-"

"No one knows," Jack interrupted. "He went to visit his homeland, Scotland, and never came back."

I gasped. "Did you ask the police or something?" I couldn't help asking.

"We tried everything," Hiccup murmured. "And still there's no sign."

I looked over at Merida. She had the LOOK on her face again. A face that said "there's excitement in the air and I am not backing down." I immediately knew what she was thinking.

"No Merida," I groaned. "Please don't do what I think you're doing!"

Instead of answering me, Merida turned to the boys. "Let's go get that ice cream!"

Both boys' expression lit up. I was starting to worry. I didn't want to spend the rest of the day with THEM! Suddenly, I thought of something.

"But what about school," I asked triumphantly. "We can't just skip the rest of our classes!"

"Yes we can," Merida replied. I glared at her. Why is she doing this? Hiccup nodded and so did Jack.

"Jack and I are both straight A students," Hiccup said. "We can afford to skip a few. What about you girls?"

I was about to say my grades were so low they should be in the sewer (which is, of course, a total lie), Merida's big mouth opened.

"So are we!" she exclaimed. "we never failed a single test!"

And so it was decided; we were going to skip the rest of our classes (much to my dismay and Jack's delight).

As we walked out the door, a girl with blond hair and stylish clothes bounded up to Hiccup. Merida and I both rolled our eyes. Everyone in school knew who she was; Astrid Hofferson, popular girl and bully. She has dated almost every boy in school, and now, she's trying Hiccup.

"Hi," she said, batting her eyelashes at him. "I'm Astrid. You're Hiccup, right? We should hang out after school."

Merida gagged and I stifled a giggle. Then we both looked up at Hiccup. He was rubbing the back of his neck and was as red as… uh, well, red.

"Nice to meet you," he replied to the now-really-close-Astrid. "But, uh, I'm going out with my friends." He gestured towards Merida, Jack, and me.

Astrid glared at the person closest to Jack, which was Merida, and glared at her.

"I see." She said through clenched teeth. She then smiled up at Hiccup and stomped away.

"Well," Merida turned to me with a twinkle in her blue eyes. "Looks like the witch won't be bothering us anymore." We all laughed and suddenly Hiccup's phone vibrated.

He fished his phone out of his pocket and looked at it.

His face turned white and his jaw dropped. His eyes widened and brimmed with tears as he turned to Jack. He was silent for a few moments and we waited for him to speak.

"That was my grandfather," he choked out. "He sent me an email. He's alive!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

(Hiccup's POV)

"My grandfather is alive?" I choked out for the fifth time (I think). All three of my friends looked at me, their mouths open. I was just as surprised and amazed as they were.

Suddenly, Merida started talking. Okay, maybe blabbering might be the perfect word for it. She started blabbering nonstop about who knows what. Jack, Rapunzel and I just stared at her. She seemed to feel three pairs of eyes burning on her because she abruptly stopped blabbering. She looked at us and silence followed. I heard a giggle and I turned around to see Rapunzel doubled over laughing. Jack followed suit, and before I could help myself, so did I. Merida blushed and I laughed harder. She seemed so cute when she blushed. The way her cheeks tainted pink brought out the blue in her eyes was just too much.

As I looked at her, my laughter died away and the world seemed to fade right along with it. It was just Merida and me. My eyes felt like I was seeing her for the first time. Her red curls were tied up in a pony tail. When had she tied it? I didn't seem to notice. Her big blue eyes stared back at me. Light pools of blue. Somehow her eyes reminded me of the sky. She was tall; five feet five, I think. She wore skinny jeans that hugged her small but tall form. With the oversized jacket added to that, she looked beautiful. Before I knew what I was doing, I leaned in closer. To my surprise, so did she. We were only inches apart now; I could feel her soft breath against my lips. Just a little closer…..

Jack coughed behind me, breaking the spell. Both Merida and I jumped back. Her blue eyes widened and she blushed. Obviously, I also blushed. Then I turned my head and glared at Jack. He just smiled and winked. Rapunzel caught the small gesture and giggled.

"So," Jack said, still smiling. "Do you lovebirds know that there are more important things we need to look at right now?"

Again, Merida and I blushed.

"I don't think there's anything else more important than love," Rapunzel murmured softly. "Jack."

Jack looked at her with a weird look on his face. Okaaaay. This just got awkward. It was MY turn to act like a hero.

I coughed, grabbing their attention.

Woooow. That's really heroic, Hiccup.

"Guys! We have better things to do, alright?" I exclaimed, then, turning to Merida, I said more softly, "What where you blabbering about awhile ago?" I asked her with an amused smile.

Of course I knew the answer. She was speaking rapid Scottish English. She was obviously Scottish based on her accent. When she said "your", she pronounced it "yer". I myself happen to be Scottish and that's how I know about it. Anyway, I didn't say anything because I wanted to hear her voice say it.

"I talk really fast when I am excited," She replied. I grinned.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" Rapunzel raised her hand excitedly. "Me too! Especially when I eat sugar!" Jack looked at her and a knowing look past between them and it was Rapunzel's turn to blush.

Merida laughed; the sound was wonderful to my ears and sadly, it was interrupted by talking.

"Come on!" She exclaimed. "Let's go get some ice cream and then look at Hiccup's email from his grandfather."

The next part of the sentence got me remembering. After all these years, I thought my grandfather was dead rather than missing. But what if it wasn't him that sent this email? What if it was someone else who knew his email address? Well, we'll find out later together.

Jack and I drove in our car; Merida and Rapunzel drove in theirs. We followed the girls since we were new here and we had no idea where each place is save the school and our houses.

A few minutes later, we parked in front of a small Dairy Queen store and went inside. As usual, boys and girls stopped by to admire our car. To be precise, it's Jack's car. But I still felt kind of proud about that car. I loved all the attention it got me and Jack. He is my best friend after all.

We sat down on an empty table and started talking. It was awkward, really. We just met two new, beautiful girls and we take them straight to an ice cream shop? I've got to admit, that is weird.

In the middle of our awkward conversation, Rapunzel stood up and said, "there's a new store that just opened nearby and I hear they sell all the latest dresses this year." She grabbed her bag. "Do you want to come, Merida?"

"You know I'd rather die than buy a dress, right?" she groaned. "I can't even look at dresses let alone buy one."

"I'll come with you," Jack said, suddenly standing up. I raised an eyebrow at him and Rapunzel raised two.

"Dude, you do know that store is only selling stuff for girls, right?" I said.

"Uh, yeah!" Jack replied, giving me the I-don't-care-and-I-really-want-to-go look. "it's not like I'm going to buy a dress. I'm just going to go and get some fresh air." He said sheepishly, looking at Rapunzel.

She studied him with bright, green eyes. Green eyes stared into bluish brown ones and I could feel the tension in the air. Suddenly, as quick as a blink of an eye, she smiled, showing white, dazzling teeth. I always thought Jack had the most perfect teeth in the world because his Dad was a dentist. But obviously I was wrong.

"Ok," she laughed then grabbed Jack's arm and then whizzed away with Jack close behind.

Okay. So now it was just Merida and me sitting across from each other.

"So…" I said. "What's your favorite color?"

To my horror, Merida looked at me like my nose was made of bananas.

"What kind of guy would start a conversation with 'What's your favorite color?' these days?" she looked at me in the eye.

I stared back. I tried frowning but it was soon covered by a smile. I couldn't help it. Her blue eyes were mesmerizing.

"Okay, then. Tell me about yourself." I winked and she laughed.

"Well, my parents are both architects and they are currently working on improving the palace in England where the royal family lives in." My eyes bulged.

"Wow. They must be really rich, huh?" I asked her. "How big is your house?"

"Seriously, Hicc?" Merida raised an eyebrow.

Hmm. Hicc. I like it. No girl has ever given me a nickname before. Just before I could reply her, a waitress came by.

"What are you guys having?" She asked. Merida and I were already looking at our menus. Merida raised her head and replied, "I'll have a large cheese burger please. With some fries on the side." As the waiter turned to me, I heard Merida quickly add, "Oh, and coke."

"Sure thing, miss. Diet or regular?"

"Regular."

Woah. For a girl with a body as good looking as hers, she has one big appetite.

"And you, young man?" She turned to me, still looking at the paper in her hands in which our orders were in.

I raised my head. "I'll have the same thing as hers." The young waitress jotted it down and I took my time to study her. She was a brunette. I guess she was pretty. But I've already gotten my eye on one girl.

"Okay, the-" She looked at me and something else showed in her green eyes. Was it interest? She smiled and she spoke, her voice lower. "Is she your girlfriend?" She whispered, gesturing towards Merida.

Before I could reply, Merida had already overheard.

"Nope." She replied for me. "I just met the dork today."

Wow. Another nickname. Why do I have a feeling that I don't like it?

Just to annoy my precious red-headed-devil, I said, "Wrong again honey bun," I winked at her. "You're the love of my life."

Okay. I definitely just risked my life. I was getting desperate. The waitress was looking at me like I was some kind of fruit. So I invented the worst lie ever. The waitress's face dropped in disappointment and she pouted. I sighed in relief and glanced over at Merida. Boy did Merida look mad. Then, just as quickly, her expression changed.

Merida's (POV)

Did he really just call me the love of his life? It did give me butterflies in my stomach but I quickly shoved it back down. At first, I was furious. Then I had an idea so I pretended to be sweet.

I smiled at him seductively and his expression was of complete surprise.

"Oh stop it, you silly thing," I pretended to blush and playfully swatted his hand lightly.

I heard the waitress huff and stomp away. I felt something cool inside me. Was I jealous? No way. But my inner self was yelling.

WAY.

"Yes, she's gone!" His voice was playful and full of relief as he raised his hand. "High five!"

I stood up at the same time as he did and raised my hand to give him one. I purposely missed and slapped his face, hard.

"Oops. I missed." I said, trying not to giggle at his face right now. He obviously wasn't hurt and so he faked. He had crossed his eyes, his head lolled to the side, and his tongue was out.

"Nope. You got me." He said while keeping his face like that. I laughed and so did he. We were clutching our sides and wiping away our tears when Rapunzel and Jack came in.

"What are you guys laughing about?" Jack asked as he sat down next to Hiccup.

'Nothing," He replied, trying his best to stop laughing. I did the same and it worked.

"Okay, let's look at that email and figure this out." Rapunzel said. Gesturing to Jack with a smile.

Wow. She actually smiled THE smile; the kind of smile where she tilts her head to one side and is one of her best looks. That kind of smile of hers that she rarely shows.

Jack took out his computer and Hiccup logged in.

A few minutes later the waitress had come back with our orders. Jack and Rapunzel had ordered the same thing; fries and regular coke.

Hiccup opened his email and we all crowded in to look. The message looked like this:

Don't look for me. Look for the Guardian's staff and it will lead you to where I first started this mission. I'm sorry to place this burden on you, but you are the only person I can trust. Please do not alert the police about these matters. Your main goal is to find the staff and follow where it leads. I will be either sending you emails regarding as to where your next mission will be or I will be sending messages and people to help you and guide you along the way. DON'T FAIL ME.

"Don't fail me?" Hiccup looked taken back. "that's not my grandfather at all."

"What if it's someone else?" I asked him. "Maybe someone hacked his email and used it."

"Maybe," Jack agreed. "what should we do?"

Until now Rapunzel hadn't said a word.

"Simple," She finally said, her face serious. "We follow the directions of what the email said. Then we can find out the truth."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

(Jack's POV)

I took Rapunzel roughly by the shoulders and her beautiful blond curls whipped along with her delicate head. Her green eyes were a mask of surprise as she faced me. She felt so small and vulnerable in my arms, and I felt the sudden urge to protect.

"Are you out of your mind," I exclaimed. "Because there is absolutely no chance I am losing you!"

When she heard my words, her eyes softened. She slowly took my hands away from her shoulders and stood up. She took my hand and I also stood. I could feel every eye in the shop zeroed on us. But I didn't care. All I could see was her. She smiled at me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I stood there in shock. I barely know her and now she's hugging me? And you know what I did? I just stood there, rock-still.

I am such a jerk.

Sometimes.

I caught a whiff of her hair.

Hmmm…. Strawberry. It smelled like home to me. She raised her head from my chest and smiled.

"You won't lose me. I'll always be your friend," Her eyes twinkled. "But if you're talking about me being dead, then you don't have to worry either. I babysit Merida's brothers when she's away. I've had experience."

When she said the part about her wanting to be my friend, somehow I didn't like it. At the back of my mind I knew I wanted to be something more, but I've only just met her. Then she said the next part….

"Wait," I looked at her. "What has babysitting got anything to do with being dead?"

"Wow. You really are new here, aren't you?" Merida said, still sitting at our table. By then the people had gone back to their business and were now ignoring us.

"Huh?" Hiccup looked at her and cocked his head to one side, confused. "Is there something we missed?"

Merida glared at him. "Stop interrupting or I'll do something about it."

Hiccup's eyes widened. "But I talked when you stopped talking!" He argued.

Merida turned her head and crossed her arms. "Whatever," she said. "my brothers are more like wee little devils running rampage. Rapunzel and I are like their leashes." She looked at Hiccup and narrowed her eyes. "And if they don't have their leashes on, they will do…" She leaned over the table and poked Hiccup's chest with each syllable. "Unspeakable things."

Hiccup gulped and backed away, looking at me with fear in his eyes.

I laughed and patted him on the back. Then I leaned in and whispered. "Just keep her cool, man."

Then I stood upright again and rubbed my hands together. "So," I said. "Where do we find this guardian guy?"

Merida stood, grabbed her jacket, and headed to the glass doors.

"Where are you going?" Hiccup asked, standing up and taking his leather jacket. Rapunzel and I followed.

"I'm going to the one place that might have an answer." She replied and headed out the door towards her car.

(Merida's POV)

Two hours later we were sitting down at the library, looking through the pages of books.

"Guys, we've been here for two hours and we still haven't got a single clue about this guardian guy." Rapunzel whined.

I sighed and stood up. "Come on, Rapunzel," I took her hand. "Let's go find some more books." She groaned and got up. Jack and Hiccups hadn't even raised their heads to acknowledge us. They sat at a far corner and where sorting through piles and piles of books.

We went to the mythology section and started sorting through.

About ten minutes later, Rapunzel yelped and I immediately rushed to her side.

She pointed at a page:

The Guardians include Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, and the Tooth-fairy. They are called the Guardians because their main purpose in life was to protect children. A British legend says that another Guardian was added. It was said that that guardian had white hair, blue eyes, and a staff. Some call him the Frozen One because of how he handles frost as his magic.

I gasped and looked at Rapunzel; Both our eyes wide. Rapunzel shut the book and we ran to the boys. On our way there, however, we collided into Hiccup at the science section.

"Woah!" His face was that of surprise as he looked at us. "What are you girls up to?"

"We need to ask you a question," Rapunzel said sweetly. I rolled my eyes, grabbed him by his front shirt, and shoved him at the shelf.

"No more time for politeness," I said through gritted teeth. He seemed shocked at first but then he smiled.

"You are one tough girl, Merida," he drawled.

I was getting really annoyed by this guy. I tried punching him in the stomach but my fist made contact with rock-hard abs.

"That's cute," he chuckled, not hurt at all. "I'll answer both your questions."

"What are you hiding from us?" I asked him as I slowly released him.

"Well, for starters, I'm Scottish," he said, grinning at me.

My jaw dropped. "But you can't be Scottish!" I exclaimed. "You don't even have a Scottish accent!"

"That's because I grew up in America, sweetheart." He said, which only intensified my frustration.

I pulled back my fist to punch him but he engulfed it in his big hands, stopping me.

"Stop it, you guys!" Rapunzel intervened. "They're only questions!"

We both looked at her and nodded. We stepped away from each other and let Rapunzel do the asking.

"What's Jack's full name?" Rapunzel asked him.

"Jack Frost." Hiccup replied casually.

"What a dork," I muttered under my breath.

He turned to me. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Did you say something Red-Head?"

I punched him again and he blocked it perfectly, taking my fist in his hands again.

"Rapunzel asked you a question," I said through gritted teeth. "What's his full name?"

Hiccup thought for a while. His eyebrows scrunched up together. His bottom lip went out and I thought of kissing him.

What?! Ew. Gross. I shook my head to clear the thought.

"If you count his mother's last name as a maiden…." Hiccup trailed off.

"Well?" Rapunzel urged him on.

Hiccup's face turned pale and his green eyes widened.

"Jack Guardian Frost," he whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

(Rapunzel's POV)

I felt my eyes bulge. JACK GUARDIAN FROST.

Wow. I kind of like the name. It sounds so….. cool.

We broke apart from our trance and walked to Jack in a daze. We found him slouched on the floor with a book lying on his lap. His eyes were wide as if in shock and he just stared ahead. He looked so scared and confused we decided to break it to him slowly. We were whispering to each other as we looked at him.

As we neared him, he broke from his daydream and looked at us with his eyes both a mixture of confusion and fear.

"Did you notice anything different?" He asked us as each of us took a spot across him.

"What do you mean?" I asked him. "Is there something out of place?"

"Think back," Jack said. "Since science class…."

"Hmm.." Hiccup replied. "Well, we went to science class, went out, met Astrid, and then went for ice cream."

"Exactly. We went for ice cream." Jack said and then turned to me. "And what did we have for _lunch_?"

"We had burgers and-" I stopped. He was right. I remember going to Dairy Queen for _ice cream,_ and it was _morning_. How did it get to lunch time? I looked around at my friends and saw their faces light up with realization. Plus, Dairy Queen does not have ice cream.

"You're right," Merida spoke. "We only had science class and it only took about an hour."

Jack nodded. "There's something going on here. Someone did this." He got up and started pacing. "Someone wants this-_intended_ for this to happen. Someone switched the time and place, but what for? And _Who?_" He stopped and looked at us. "Did you guys find something?"

We looked at each other. I took a deep breath and turned to Jack.

"Jack," I asked. "Is your full name Jack Guardian Frost?"

He turned to me, frowning. "Yes. Yes it-" he stopped abruptly as his handsome face dawned with realization. "Wait," He frowned again. "you don't really think that I have the staff, do you?"

Hiccup stood up and walked to his friend. "Do you have any sort of staff at home?" he asked Jack. "Anything at all? Any sticks or something?"

Jack shook his head. "Nothing."

Suddenly, something popped in my mind. "Let's go to your house, Jack. Are your parents home?"

Jack tilted his head to one side, thinking. "Well, my mom is home, but not my Dad."

Merida looked at me and I knew that she knew what we were going to do.

Merida stood up, seeming satisfied. "Perfect," she said, smiling. "Let's go."

(Jack's POV)

We drove in silence. The girls sat on the back seat of my car and Hiccup was on my right side. The girls had left their car at Merida's house and we drove in my car. It was too much trouble taking two cars. As we got in and started our drive, I was surprised to see both girls so calm in the back seat. Many of the girls I've met would have squealed in delight because of the low rumbling of the car or the plush cushions. But then again they aren't like most girls I've met. Just when I was about to ask, Hiccup spoke.

"So, uh, I noticed this isn't the first time for you girls to ride in a car this good?" he asked them.

"No, not really," Rapunzel replied. "Merida's car is similar to this so it's not a first time." I looked at the rear view mirror to catch her beautiful smile. Merida was silent most of the time. Hiccup, Rapunzel and I chatted as we wound through the narrow road outside of the small town.

"Where's your house located in?" Rapunzel asked me and I couldn't help smiling.

"We live out in the countryside." I replied.

"So is it, like, a farm?" Rapunzel asked, her green eyes wide.

Both Hiccup and I laughed. "You'll see."

In no time at all, we reached my house. Rapunzel's eyes widened and I couldn't help the pride growing in my chest.

"Wow," She said, breathless. "This isn't a house, it's a mansion!"

I laughed. "Alright, let's get in. My mom probably has the cookies ready."

The moment my parents moved here to America, they've been looking for the "perfect" house. They searched in town, but they weren't satisfied because it was too small, too dirty, or too "neighbor-y." That's not even a word. But what my parents want, they get. So they met with this Australian guy whose accent is probably fake. He said he was an architect and designed houses that were "perfect." He showed my parents the latest design and poof! Here it is. I'll describe it for you.

The mansion was four stories high. A lot of the walls are made of glass. When you enter through the giant glass doors, you will come across brown wooden floor with a table in the middle with flowers on it. It's sort of like the lobby in a hotel. The rest of the house was lined with carpet except for the kitchen, dining room, the bathrooms, and our indoor swimming pool. Everything in that mansion was modern. It's not like the old mansions you picture in your brains that's made of rocks. Every single design was modern.

Anyway, we parked right outside of my house and a young man walked towards us. I got out of the car and tossed him the keys. "Park it with the rest," I told him. "I won't need it. Bring out the Nissan." He nodded and got in to drive it away.

I looked at Merida. She looked like she's been visiting mansions every day. She probably lives in one. I smiled and shook my head. These two best friends are full of mysteries.

As we entered through the giant doors, my butler, Sandy, came and took our jackets. His golden hair was neatly combed, as usual. He wore jeans and a shirt, his casual look. He only wore his uniform when there are guests.

Wait, oops. I guess I didn't call to tell him.

"Hi, I'm Rapunzel." Rapunzel said, as she took her hand out for him to shake. Sandy politely took her hand in his and shook. Rapunzel waited expectantly and I almost laughed.

"Sandy doesn't talk," I explained.

"Then how does he talk to you?" Rapunzel asked.

"Most of the time he acts it out, sometimes he writes it."

"Writes it?"

Sandy pulled out the notebook he always carried with him and wrote; That's right!

"It's kind of hard for him because he is the Frosts' most loyal butler." Hiccup said.

Rapunzel's big eyes widened further. I can't help feeling her eyeballs were going to pop out any minute now.

"You have a _butler?" _She greatly emphasized the word 'butler'.

"Yeah, we do," I replied. "Sandy never talks, yet there's something about him that's golden." I said, winking at Sandy. He winked back, his golden eyes smiling.

We continued walking and met up with my Mom at her study room. Her study room was also covered in carpet and two leather sofas sat at the side of her cozy office. Her built in bookshelves didn't have a lot of books since she kept most her books inside her kindle. At the far end of the room was my Mom's desk. She sat behind it, typing on her Mac book computer. Her brown hair was tied up in a bun and loose strands hung around her Irish-like features. She wore fitting designer jeans and a green blouse. Her brown eyes were entirely focused on the computer when we walked in.

She raised her soft eyes towards us and smiled. "Hello, Jack. Welcome home, son." She gracefully stood up and came around her desk to hug me. I hugged her back.

"Hi," I replied. "Mom."

She pulled away and hugged Hiccup next. "You seem to have grown handsomer, Hiccup." She smiled up at him.

"I always do, Mrs. Frost." Hiccup replied, grinning.

Then she turned to the girls. "To whom do I have the honor of meeting beautiful girls like you?"

Rapunzel laughed and took her hand in hers. "I'm Rapunzel, a friend of Jack's"

My Mom raised her eyebrows and Rapunzel quickly added, "And Hiccup's. We just met today, uh, at school." She stammered, blushing.

My Mom nodded and then turned to Merida. "And you are?"

Merida smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Merida; I'm a friend of the three of them."

She gestured towards the three of us.

"Well it's great to meet you," She turned to me. "I didn't expect you to be home so early, though."

I checked my watch. "Oh wow. It's only eleven thirty in the morning," I looked at the others quizzically. They looked at me the same.

(Merida's POV)

Wow. But we just had lunch, right? It was twelve something when we had lunch. It took us two hours in the library, and about twenty minutes to drive to Jack's house. It should be about three in the afternoon by now. Ever since we met each other and found out about the email, things have gotten weird.

To answer the awkward look Jack's Mom was giving us, I replied for them. "We, um, are taking the rest of the week off because of this, uh, experiment we're doing."

"Oh." Mrs. Frost replied. "What is this experiment about?"

"Ummm…" I tried to sound casual. "It's about, uh.."

"Sticks," Rapunzel interrupted. "We are supposed to observe special kinds of sticks and try to figure out how old they are."

She's a good liar. She never lies but when she does, it's very convincing.

"So we were wondering if you have any sticks that are special." Hiccup asked nervously.

Mrs. Frost's expression quickly changed.

"What are you talking about?" Her voice sounded neutral. "I'm sure there are some sticks that you will be able to find at the backyard."

She looked away. "Why did you kids come here, anyway?" Her voice sounded far and distant. "Don't you have sticks in your neighborhoods?"

"The teacher said something about it being special, supposedly." I replied. "She said it was a certain kind of wood and it's not supposed to be any ordinary stick." I tried to keep my voice even, "Presumably a staff."

Mrs. Frost whipped her head to face us. "You kids know something, don't you?"

"Um… yes… we know something." Hiccup chuckled.

"Don't try joking with me, Hiccup. I know that you know what I mean." Mrs. Frost's voice was cold. "What do you know about the Guardians?"

"Not much," I answered truthfully. "But someone told us about the staff and that it belonged to a Guardian. And your maiden name is Guardian, right?"

Mrs. Frost paled. "He told you, didn't he?" her lips trembled. "I should have known Hiccup would do something like that."

Hiccup blinked, "Excuse me? Me?"

"Not you," she replied. "Your grandfather. You are Hiccup the third, yes? Your grandfather was Hiccup the first."

"Oh." Hiccup frowned.

"Is there something you're hiding from me, Mom?" Jack asked.

Mrs. Frost looked up at him. Even at five feet eight, she still looked small compared to Jack's six feet three build.

"We don't have much time," she said hastily, guiding us out the door and down the hall. "I'll explain once we've got the staff."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked as we were hustled through the kitchen. "What do you mean we don't have much time?"

Mrs. Frost waved away her son's questions. "Right now, we have to hope that the staff will respond to Jack."

"What do you mean will respond to Jack?" Rapunzel asked. "It's just a staff."

We were lead to the fridge where Mrs. Frost pulled on a ketchup bottle and a door opened at the back of the fridge. My eyes widened. This adventure could be interesting.

"It's not just an ordinary staff," Mrs. Frost replied after a while of walking through dark passages. She finally stopped and pressed a brick on her side. It was pitch black by the way, and I kept bumping someone. The passage was narrow so we walked in a single file, with Jack behind me.

A door creaked open and we entered.

"Who on earth kept bumping me?" Hiccup grunted.

"I did," I replied and he looked at me. "Got a problem with that?"

He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Jack and Rapunzel's gasp.

I whipped my head back to look behind him and there, in the middle of this small and barren room, lay the staff.

One end of the staff was curved and the staff pretty much looked like trash to me.

"Where's the staff?" Hiccup asked.

I hit him in the back of the head. "It's right there you idiot."

"Ow!" He yelped, rubbing the back of his head. "Sometimes I wonder if you're a girl or an elephant with a brain the size of a peanut."

I glared at him and Mrs. Frost strode between us, breaking the argument. She slowly walked up to the staff and gently held it. Bits of spider webs clung to it and it was covered in dust. She walked back towards us and handed to Jack. Then the most amazing thing happened.

The moment it touched Jack's hand, it glowed blue. The temperature in the room quickly changed. It was freezing suddenly, yet there was also something warm that enveloped us.

"It responds to its true master, a Guardian." Mrs. Frost said, wonder in her eyes. "I haven't seen this glow since your father touched it, which was many, many years ago."

Jack's face was transfixed unto the staff. His eyes started to glow into something bright blue.

Mrs. Frost looked at his eyes and quickly gestured for us to come nearer. "Look at his eyes only when you have listened to my instructions," She said hastily. "Go to the Dragon's Keep and stay there for a few days. I will send someone after you soon. Then she turned to Jack, careful not to look in his eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I will do everything I can to bring you back safe."

Then she turned to us. She had tears in her eyes. "Go," her voice broke and she sobbed. "look in his eyes and remember what I have told you!" we nodded and looked. His eyes were getting brighter and brighter. Then deep inside me I heard a voice that beckoned me closer. I realized it was the staff. We all inched closer and closer, mesmerized by Jack's eyes and the power of the staff. We reached forward and our fingers got closer and closer to the staff.

Our fingers finally made contact with the staff and suddenly everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

(Jack's POV)

The staff's power burned through my fingers and entered me. I could feel its every heartbeat and rhythm; every glow and ounce of energy. I could hear and feel it calling out to me. I felt something inside me open and my body started humming in time with the staff. At that moment, I felt like I could destroy. I could protect. I felt cold and warm at the same time. The staff's power that gave me was indescribable. All I could see was the staff; it was as if time had stopped. I felt (or rather the staff) fingers touch me or the staff. Suddenly I felt air being ripped out of my throat. Yet I wasn't suffocating. The air got thinner and thinner and I felt like I was being crushed between two giant rocks. Yet the power of the staff held me. Suddenly, I started seeing images; images of an island with people that have hats with horns. Their houses were also decorated with horns and fur. But there was another thing I saw. Some sort of creatures flew everywhere. _Dragons_, The staff whispered. I couldn't hear the words, yet I could feel it. The staff kept a firm grip on me. _Close your eyes_, it whispered. _We have arrived._ Then I was lowered to a soft patch of grass. I could still feel the power of the staff, but it wasn't as strong as it was a few minutes ago. I felt my eyes open and I looked at the staff in my hands. It had stopped glowing and it was just an ordinary looking staff. I heard moans and I whipped my head around, instinctively clutching the staff in my hand as a weapon.

"Where are we?" Rapunzel groaned and I sighed in relief. They were all here, safe.

"Jack," Hiccup sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "I think I wet my pants."

Rapunzel and I laughed. Then we looked over at the red head that was still lying down on the soft grass. Merida's mouth was open and she was snoring. Hiccup quickly ran to her and took out his phone.

"I'm definitely taking a picture of this," he stifled his laughter. He positioned the camera above her head and clicked it.

The moment the camera clicked, Merida jolted upright and punched Hiccup in the face, hard. The smack echoed across the forest while Rapunzel and I looked on with shock. That has got to be the fastest reflex I have ever seen.

"OOOOWW!" Hiccup yelped and lay down on the grass, cupping his bleeding nose. Merida blinked and then she covered her mouth when she saw Hiccup rolling on the grass.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, moving towards him. "I'm really sorry, I'll make it up to-" She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Hiccup's phone. She picked it up and looked at it. Her eyes widened then she frowned.

"HICCUP!" She yelled, advancing towards him. "HOW DARE YOU TAKE A PICTURE OF ME WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!" She kicked him at his legs and Hiccup sat up, trying to fight back. He struck a fist at the side of Merida's face but that didn't stop her. She struck another one at him and he blocked it. In no time at all they were both rolling on the grass, trying to find an opening to punch each other. Rapunzel and I watched with our mouths wide open.

"I wish I have popcorn with me right now," I said and to my surprise, Rapunzel nodded.

"But don't you think we should break them up first?" She turned towards me.

I agreed.

(Hiccup's POV)

A few hours later, the four of us sat around the fire that crackled. Jack and Rapunzel had both managed to break Merida and I apart. We were both hurt and bruised yet neither of us wanted to admit that. While Merida and I sat down to press the leaves onto our bleeding noses, Jack and Rapunzel had gone off to look for food and firewood. Merida and I sat across at each other and glared. She has got to be the Queen of all evil females. We managed to hold our fists back and I endured long minutes of her blue eyes piercing a hole through me. I glared back. But it didn't last for long because Jack and Rapunzel had walked back; Rapunzel with fruits encased in her shirt, Jack with an arm full of firewood. Jack and I had been to the boy scouts so we both knew how to make fire with just sticks and dry leaves. We had dinner and fire in no time. We ate in silence, wondering where on earth we were. Deep inside I knew we were panicking. But we took it quite calmly. I had no idea what on earth was happening, but whatever it was, it is strange. I was the first to break the silence.

"Jack," I cleared my throat. "What happened back there? How did we end up here? Where are we?"

Jack's eyes were fixed on the staff in his hand.

"I don't know," He said, his voice sounding distant. "I just felt something in this staff that became part of me somehow."

Rapunzel's eyebrows knit together. "You mean the staff brought us here? Wherever this place is."

Merida spoke. "Aren't we supposed to be panicking? I feel strangely calm somehow. It's like I've been expecting for this to happen."

"I feel the same way," I said. "I feel like I've done this before or something."

"Well, whatever it is, we'll figure it out tomorrow." Jack yawned. "I'm beat." Then he frowned. "Before we left, what happened to mom?"

"She told us to go to the Dragon's Keep and stay there a few days until she sends someone to guide us on our next journey." I replied, tugging my jacket around me. It was getting cold.

"I wonder where this Dragon's Keep is," Rapunzel stared at the fire.

"I think I know," Jack said and our heads snapped up to his face. "The staff told me."

"Ooookaay." Merida said, clearly freaked out. "Let's talk about this tomorrow."

We all agreed and went to sleep. The last thing I thought about before I drifted off to sleep was a dragon.

(Merida's POV)

I woke up with my head pounding with pain.

Oh right.

We're in this who-knows-where place and we're supposed to find a whatever.

I slowly sat up, cradling my aching head between my hands and looked around. The others were still asleep and the fire was out. I stood up, brushing the leaves from my messy red hair and jeans. I decided to look around.

I walked through the trees, careful to remember where I turned and where I went so that I could remember how to get back. I walked on, flipping a rock or two every time I made a turn. And the whole time I was walking, I was talking to myself.

"Dragon's Keep," I muttered. "That Mrs. Frost is one crazy lady. Who on earth has seen a Dragon's-"

I had gotten to the end of the forest and beyond me there was a sea of water. The view was breathtaking, but that wasn't what I was looking at.

"Keep." I breathed the last word as I looked at the impossible view in front of me. Before me was an island with houses and such. But those weren't ordinary houses. The houses had fur on them and each house had a gigantic perch on top for some sort of giant bird. The island had a dock and ships with dragon heads in front sat along the dock.

I've seen this place before. I think it was in history class. I felt my eyes widen as my brain struggled to think of the possibilities. But that's impossible. Vikings were supposed to be extinct, right?

But lately, things have gotten so weird I don't think anything here is impossible.

So I ran.

After minutes of zigzagging through the forest, I finally found the others back at our camp. I groaned in frustration; they were still asleep. But I was too shocked and too tired to wake them up so I sat down on a log to catch my breath, watching them sleep. After a few seconds my breathing had returned to normal and I stood to wake them up. I walked over to Rapunzel and gently shook her awake. Her green eyes fluttered open and she yawned. I moved over to Jack next and shook him. He awoke with a start and quickly clutched the staff to him protectively. But when his eyes met mine, he relaxed.

I then moved over to the next which happened to be Hiccup. What I saw made me take out my iPhone to snap a few pictures. Hiccup lay on his side, curled up in a ball, clutching his jacket and, believe it or not, sucking his thumb. His lips were parted and half of his thumb was out of his lips, glistening with his saliva. The other half stayed put and I saw his tongue involuntarily flick against it lazily. I stopped taking pictures and just stared. It was as if I noticed him for the first time. His long lashes that I knew girls would kill for fluttered as he dreamed. His strong jaw flexed as he inserted the rest of his thumb in his mouth. His brown hair was spiked out everywhere and stubble of hair shadowed the skin on his jaws and around his full lips.

He was drop-dead gorgeous.

I broke my gaze and clicked one more picture. Suddenly his eyes opened and he detached his thumb from his mouth while sitting up quickly. His gaze drifted to me then to his thumb that now looked like a prune from an all-night sucking.

Probably.

His gaze shifted to me slowly.

He was as red as a tomato. "I, uh, am different from other teenagers," he said, wiping his thumb across his jeans.

When I gave him an exasperated look, he continued. "I've been doing this for as long as I can remember." He was blushing so hard now.

"Well, you're certainly different," I giggled. Then my face was solemn. "I'm sorry for punching you yesterday. What I did was out of line." I apologized.

To my surprise, he smiled and said, "That's fine. We were both too shocked by all this happenings anyway. I should also be sorry."

We shook hands and his touch was like electricity. I got butterflies in my stomach but I decided to ignore it.

"Why did you wake us up, Mer?" Rapunzel asked, pulling her jacket around her. I got up and walked towards her and Jack.

"I found this weird looking place and I thought we should take a look at it." I said.

Jack nodded. "Alright Merida, lead the way." He gestured towards the forest.

"Um, huh, Jack?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "That's not the way."

"Well how was I supposed to know that?" Jack frowned.

"Come one, guys," Rapunzel laughed, heading towards the forest. "Let's go."

Hiccup and Jack both followed her to a different direction and I sighed.

"Hey walking maps," I said. "You're going the wrong way again."

(Rapunzel's POV)

We walked through the forest and after a while we came to a stop. The view was magnificent. The water was so blue, the island was beautiful, and I was struck by the wonder of the sky.

We walked towards the clearing of grass towards the water.

"How are we supposed to get across?" I asked Jack, who was walking in front of me.

"Well, the island isn't that far away so I figured we could swim." His deep voice replied.

Swim? No problem. Both Merida and I took swimming classes for two years.

Merida and Hiccup walked in front. Both kept their distances with Merida in the very front.

I quickened my pace to catch up with them.

Then I heard a screech.

Before I knew what was going on, large claws had engulfed Merida and she flew of the ground, kicking and screaming. I couldn't see what the creature exactly was, but it was huge. Another blue one picked up Hiccup before he could run away. Seeing what was happening, Jack quickly took my hand and held the staff above his head. Three of those creatures flew down towards us. Their long sharp teeth glistened in the morning sun. Their sharp spikes on the colorful wings flexed as they charged. I felt Jack's muscles bunch up beneath my trembling fingers as the staff turned bright blue. In the speed of light, large crystals of lightning struck the creatures and they quickly turned into ice. As the creatures stumbled, something hopped off their backs. Their big buffy figures gave me no doubt they were human males. Both of them were big and muscular, but the one of them was about ten inches taller than the other. Their helmets shone in the bright light of the sun. Their big axes and spears were the size of my arm.

Vikings.

They charged against us and again Jack held up the staff again, ready to strike another one of those cool stuff. The moment they saw the action, they stopped dead in their tracks. They paled and looked at me.

The bigger one held down his axe and turned to his companion, all blood drained from his face while Jack and I stood there with shock at what they did. Why on earth did they stop when they saw the staff?

"Could it be?" He asked his companion.

Oh good. They speak English.

The smaller man nodded and turned toward us again. His voice trembled.

"Are you Jack Frost?" He asked Jack.

"Yes," Jack replied cautiously. "Why do you want-"

"And you are Rapunzel?" The man paid no heed to Jack and had turned towards me.

"Y-yes." I stammered.

Both men looked at us with awe and fear now.

"And the other two we took?" The big man spoke.

"Merida and Hiccup." I replied.

The moment they heard that, they fell to their knees.

Okay. Wow. I couldn't get my dog to sit and now I'm having two large guys kneel in front of me and Jack.

"Uh, why are you guys kneeling?" I couldn't help asking them after a few seconds of them keeling there with their head bowed.

"Because," the small man spoke without looking up. "You are the Chosen Ones."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

(Hiccup's POV)

The giant claws gripped my arms as we soared through the skies. I couldn't hear the wind in my ears; I could hear Merida's screams of protest though.

I bobbed up and down as the wings of the powerful creature flapped majestically. We got nearer and nearer to the island and I stopped struggling. And, thank the mother of chocolates, so did Merida's screams. We both knew what would happen if the creatures dropped us; imminent death. With no water to cushion our fall, we could break our heads or worse.

Thankfully, they lowered us to the ground slowly. That was probably the only gentle part of this though. As soon as we landed, some people riding on the back of the creatures hopped down and shoved us through rows and rows of houses. People came out of their houses to look at us, whispering among themselves. Merida walked silently beside me while our captors walked behind us, poking us occasionally with their crazy big weapons. We hiked up the hill, passing by many more houses. At the top of the hill, we stopped. There was a single house there, but I could sense something different too. First of all, the decorations were a bit different. While the other houses had furs and horns, this one had beautiful carvings on the side and paintings too. The horns on the rooftop looked bigger than the ones we saw on other houses. This house felt like it had more authority or something. And there's something else. I can't explain it, but I feel like I'm already inside. It's like there's another half of me was in there already. I shook my head, bewildered. This is weird.

One of our captors, a big burly man with a long brown moustache and beard, strode forward and knocked on the giant wooden doors. The door opened a bit and Merida leaned forward, probably hoping to catch a glimpse of the person behind the door. I took this opportunity to admire her red, bouncy curls. I normally hated girls with those kinds of hairs, but on her, it seemed natural.

I put my attention back to the door just in time to hear the man on the other side gruff a reply. Then the doors were opened and we stepped into darkness. I noticed our two captors stayed behind.

The house was very dark and I could barely see anything at all. Merida nudged me forward and I realized I had stopped.

"Hello?" I called out as we cautiously stepped forward.

"Why have you come, Human," a deep baritone voice replied. "Into a realm where you could die with a snap of my fingers?"

I could imagine some scary dramatic music going with that.

"Show yourself." Merida said firmly. "I don't have time to play hide and seek."

I whirled my head around and mouthed the words "shut up" to her. We don't know what we're dealing with here.

The deep voice rumbled with laughter. "Alright, but tell me your names first."

Before I could reply, the door behind us banged open and my eyes squinted against the light as I turned around. Two giant men (very similar to our captors) strode in quickly.

"Stoick?" The bigger man spoke. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

I heard a grunt and a short reply. "Then tell me."

The shorter man took a step forward. "They're the Chosen Ones."

I heard a sharp intake of breath and the doors banged shut, leaving us in the darkness again; with the two men. Almost as immediately as the door was shut, fire blasted in the middle of the dark room and both Merida and I jumped back. In the middle of the room was a giant bonfire and a long table surrounded it; at the end of the table stood a large man with a lot of red hair.

He spoke after looking at me for what seemed like forever. "Welcome home Hiccup."

(Merida's POV)

How did that fat guy know Hiccup? Does he know me too?

I could tell Hiccup was as surprised as I am by the way his square jaw popped open and his eyes widen in surprise.

"Do I know you?" He asked my question.

The fat guy chuckled. "You know me, but you don't."

What on earth is his brain made out of?

"Um, I don't understand." Hiccup frowned.

The man smiled. "I'm Stoick the Vast, your grandfather."

I felt Hiccup stiffen beside me. "No, my grandfather is in Scotland. He sent us here."

Stoick frowned. "Your parents never told you?"

"Told us what?" Now I was curious.

Stoick's vast chest heaved as he sighed.

Hah. Stoick with a VAST chest. Concentrate, Merida.

"It would be best if we waited for the others." He said and Hiccup walked towards him.

"Where's Jack and Rapunzel?" He asked.

As if on cue, the door opened and both of them strode in. As soon as I saw them, I smiled, ran towards Rapunzel, and hugged her. I turned to see Jack and Hiccup greeting each other.

Stoick cleared his throat and we all turned to face him.

"You may want to sit down," he talked like he was a king of authority. "I'll tell you all your truths; all of you. But the truth will cost."

I slapped my palm on the table as we sat down. "Name your price."

"You don't pay me," Stoick was dead serious. "You do what the Brothers of the Sun and Moon tells you."

"So now you're telling us the truth, don't they have to be here to hear you spill so we can do what they want us to do?" Jack asked, leaning towards the big burly man.

"They already know," Stoick replied. And to answer our questioning stares, he continued. "They prophesied about this day when your parents left."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rapunzel held up a hand. "Freeze. What do you mean _our parents left?_"

Stoick let out a deep breath. "They never told you, did they? Well, they probably knew what the cost is if you out about the truth."

"Then tell us the truth," I said. "Tell us everything."

Stoick sighed. But he told us:

Your parents were all about eighteen years old when it happened. Hiccup was here with me, training dragons and learning to fight. Merida was back at her place which was about two hundred miles from here. Rapunzel had just married Eugene, and Jack was assuming his duties as a Guardian. Everything was at peace around here, until one day a messenger came to Rapunzel's parents warning them that a vast army of demons, vampires, and werewolves have come to take over our world. Her parents immediately alerted the surrounding kingdoms; Merida's, mine, and Jack's. Merida's family quickly gathered their army; 10,000 soldiers armed for battle. Hiccup and I prepared ours; 5,000 strong fighting men and dragons too numerous to count. Rapunzel prepared their army, also too vast to count, and Jack prepared the Guardians. We knew that the evil would first attack Rapunzel's kingdom and the plan was to lead them outside the palace grounds, join forces there and attack. But they took us by surprise. A large army did attack Rapunzel's Kingdom and we did fight back there. However, while we were busy fighting there, another large quantity had been attacking the surrounding kingdoms. Many defenseless people died. We fought until dawn, but they were too powerful. The vampires could lift sizes that were five times their weight and move very fast, the werewolves were large and could swipe three people at the same time with their giant paws. The demons could summon the souls of the dead and many other things. Many people and dragons were lost and we were forced to retreat.

When we came back to our kingdoms, there was nothing left. That caused anger in your parents and they were determined to find out who did this and kill them. But there was something you must know about your parents; they were different. Hiccup had a bond with his dragon, Toothless; a very strong bond. Whatever the dragon felt, so did Hiccup. Rapunzel could heal and do things with her mind no one ever thought possible. Jack's power in the staff is so powerful he could rip apart an entire mountain with a wave of the stick. Merida could shift into a horrifying beast that had the strength of ten werewolves. But if she lost control, the strength of the beast would double.

Why did they never use these abilities on the war, you may ask? It was because of the Law that the Brothers of the Sun and Moon had created. No one was to use their abilities, or the Sources, when their hearts were filled with hatred and anger. You must be free of those to be able to use it. No one knows why they made the Law, but if you don't follow it, there will be consequences. But the four of them, blinded with their rage and hatred, pursued and vowed never to stop until evil was gone. We tried to stop them, but they would stop at nothing to get their revenge. They took their loved ones with them. Rapunzel took Eugene, Jack took Toothiana, Hiccup took Astrid with him, but Merida did not take anyone with her. The seven of them searched and searched until they finally found out who had started the evil. It was Pitch and Hades. They found them both in the Underworld, eating and drinking. Using their Sources, they killed thousands of demons, vampires, and werewolves that were protecting their masters. Pitch and Hades were taken by surprise but they quickly recovered and fought back. Eugene, Toothiana, and Astrid all suffered fatal injuries; that spurred the Big Four on. Blinded by their fury, they attacked both Hades and Pitch at the same time. But right before they were going to end it, the Brothers of the Sun and Moon appeared. They banned the Four and their loved ones to the mortal world forever. But the Four refused. So the Brothers of the Sun and Moon raised all their enemies back to life and promised to lock them away in the Abyss of the Underworld if the Four went to the mortal world. The Four finally agreed reluctantly. But to make sure they stay there forever, the Brothers told them that if they tried to cross dimensions to come back to our world, the gates of the Underworld would immediately open and release their enemies of old; so the Four went to the modern world using Jack's staff. He was the only one who could open the gate in which you could come and go from the modern world.

They stayed there for many years. And as the years went by, they started to become mortals. They started losing their immortal bloods and their Sources. Their appearances started to change as well. Jack's white hair turned brown and so did his blue eyes. Toothiana, his wife, lost her wings and colorful feathers. It was replaced by brown hair and Irish features. Rapunzel's blonde hair turned brown but Eugene didn't seem to change. Merida still looked the same and she married a mortal man. Hiccup still looked the same and married Astrid (who also did not change). But they had one thing in common; they lost their sources and their immortality. They all started building their lives there. Then they gave birth to children that looked (almost) exactly like them when they were immortals. Those children were you. You all looked so much like the Big Four they named you after themselves. Jack, you have your father's hair back when he was an immortal. Your eyes are mixed because your father's immortal eyes were blue. But you are also part human so it has a bit of brown. Rapunzel, did you notice that you're golden haired yet both your parents had brown hair? Well it was because your mother had golden hair when she was immortal. Hiccup looks exactly like his father back when he was his age. Merida is the splitting image of her mother. Your parents may be mortal, but you also have immortal blood in you.

The moment you were born, a new prophecy was added to the Book of the Bothers (That was how I knew the story of your parents). It was said that someone would open the gates to the Underworld and start one of the largest wars on our world.

However, it was also said that the children of the Big Four were to come back to this world and put an end to evil. They would be allowed to use their Sources because of their pure hearts.

Stoick stopped and looked at us.

I could feel my eyes about to pop out any second now. I looked at the others and saw my emotions reflected in their faces; sadness, hurt, and confusion.

"Why didn't our parents tell us this?" Rapunzel murmured.

"The Big Four wanted to protect their children. However their loved ones believed that evil must be stopped."

"That's why my mom helped us," Jack said, his face saddened. "But why did she tell us to hurry?"

"You're going to have to ask her yourself, I'm afraid," Stoick said. "But now the four of you must begin your training on how to control your Sources; especially you, Merida. The Beast itself was Zeus' secret bodyguard when he enters the realm of Hades."

"I have one more question," Hiccup raised his hand in respect. "The gods of Olympus exist, right?"

Stoick nodded.

"Then why don't they help us defeat Hades and Pitch?"

"They have their own businesses," Stoick sighed. "No one knows why, but they don't seem to care about this world. Besides, even if we want to ask them to help us, we couldn't because Mount Olympus is in the mortal realm."

(Rapunzel's POV)

That sucks. I learned in history class that Hades, Zeus and Poseidon were brothers or something. Well that's just great. There's the four of us against an entire army of who knows what nightmares and there's no one there to help us. Unless…

"The four of us can go to Mount Olympus and ask for help," I suggested.

Stoick shook his head. "It's too risky. We need you here to protect us and yourselves. You need to train here," he continued. "and if the prophecy is correct, the gate will be-"

The door burst open and a young boy about our age entered, running.

"Stoick, I bring news from the Kingdom in the North."

Stoick rose from his chair. "Proceed."

The messenger took several deep breaths before he continued. "It was said that the gates of hell have been opened."

We all took sharp intakes of breathes as this news sunk in.

"WHAT!?" Stoick roared. "It can't be!"

We all looked at the messenger who was taking out a piece of paper or something and began to read it. Stoick strode forward and covered the space between them in a few steps. He snatched it from the boy and read it.

Then he calmly rolled up the paper and turned back to the boy who was smiling sheepishly. He smacked the boy at the back of the head with the rolled-up-old-times-newspaper.

"You mean a demon escaped," he chuckled while ruffling the boy's curly blonde hair. "Better be more attentive next time to keep anyone from dying of heart attacks, alright?"

The boy nodded and smiled shyly, leaving the room.

As soon as the door closed, Stoick turned to us, clearly trying to fake a smile. "The four of you must be exhausted. Armlug here will escort you to your rooms. You begin training at dawn. We don't have much time."

"Why do we need to hurry?" Jack asked as Armlug, a man with a long beard and a bushy moustache lead us out the door. "A demon escaped; so what?"

Stoick stood rock still as he looked at us with grave eyes, his smile no longer there.

"The Book of the Brothers said that after a demon escaped," he talked as though it was hard for him to breathe. "One of you will die."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

(Jack's POV)

One of us was going to die? I looked at the others as we were escorted out the house. They also looked worried.

What if I died? I wouldn't mind. But if one of my new friends died, I could never live with myself.

Armlug led us down a windy road and towards a hut not far from where we had just been in. Before we went in, Rapunzel turned to him.

"What about our clothes and toothbrushes?" She asked. Now I don't normally say this about girls, but she is adorable.

"You'll have to use things from this world for now, Miss," Armlug gruffly replied as he led us through a well-furnished room. Well, in a Viking way.

Inside the hut were four separate rooms, with something like a living room in the middle of the rooms. The hut was beautiful; the walls were filled with interesting carvings and paintings. There was a sofa and I saw that in each bedroom a white clean bed was made. All in all, the hut was beautiful; exquisite. It was like we were in a five-star hotel in Hawaii except for the horns and fur that made it more Viking.

As we stood there staring at the room in awe, Armlug cleared his throat.

"There will be a dragon that will be perched on the top of this roof to protect you," He said. "Don't let the noise bother you."

He then bowed from his waist and exited the room.

I took the first room; the door on my right. There was a window there and a nicely made bed. And to my surprise, a toothbrush and toothpaste sat on the desk by the bed. Wow. If I didn't know we were in a different dimension I would have thought this was back in earth. Rapunzel took the room right across mine. I smiled.

She really was adorable.

The last two rooms had the best views, overlooking the ocean. However, from what I've seen from the living room, only one of them had a bathroom.

Oh boy, another competition.

Merida and Hiccup narrowed their eyes at each other. It was like going back to old western times when two cowboys would draw their guns and fire.

In a speed of lightning Merida dashed for the room. Hiccup quickly ran after her.

Rapunzel and I shifted closer to the room to see what they were doing next.

Hiccup had a screaming Merida over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Only this time it was tomatoes (because Merida's hair is red and so is her face).

He walked to the other room as if she weighed nothing and dumped her on the bed.

"Douche," I heard Merida mutter. Hiccup then walked back to his room and locked the door. Rapunzel and I shrugged. What was it with those two?

Then, there was a knock on the door. Rapunzel strode to it and opened the door.

Armlug stood there with an armful of…what?

Shopping bags?

"We didn't know what you liked so we just got some clothes for you," he said, placing them on the living room. He gestured to the bags. "Your names are labeled in each, so you won't have to argue about anything."

Merida and Hiccup had come out of their rooms long enough to grab the shopping bags with their names on it and head back to lock their doors.

Armlug scratched the back of his head. "Some say the best ones start like that; fighting."

Rapunzel and I exchanged glances.

"You mean love?" Rapunzel asked in a soft voice.

Armlug winked and headed to the table in the middle of the room. He reached down and took out a remote control. As Rapunzel and I stared in shock, he pressed a button and the largest painting in the room flipped inside the wall and a forty-five-inch plasma TV took its place.

He then handed the remote back to my frozen hands. How did they have TV here?

"I don't think you'll need this, but we made this remote control for you because that's what you're used to in your world. We wanted to make you feel comfortable."

"How do you operate it then?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well," he replied, "This is how." He flicked his wrist and the channel changed. Then he pinched his thumb and forefinger together and twisted, increasing the volume. He did it the opposite way and the volume decreased. Then he balled his fist and it turned off. He opened his hands, all five fingers spread wide, and the TV turned back on. Then he pulled those five fingers together and it paused. The whole time he was doing this, Rapunzel and my jaws were wide open. This technology is way more advanced than earth's, obviously.

"H-how do you d-do that?" I stammered the remote falling to the ground.

"The sensors in the TV can sense your muscles on your arms and hands," he shrugged. "We have it everywhere." Then before I could ask any more questions, he bowed, said goodnight, and left.

"Wow," Rapunzel breathed. "I'm going to go take a shower and call it a night." She grabbed her shopping bag and disappeared in her room. I sighed and grabbed mine. But not before testing out the wrist thing Armlug was doing a few minutes ago. I grinned. This was so fun.

I walked to my room and shut the door. Then I rifled through the clothes. What I found shocked me.

There were dresses and skirts and shirts for girls. And what's this?

I held up a piece of underwear. Victoria's Secret, hmm. It was red and my other hand reached in the bag to find a bra with the same color.

Just then the door banged open and a red-faced Rapunzel stood there, a shopping bag in one hand. She obviously just came out of the shower, judging by her wet hair and towel wrapped around her.

Then she looked at the underwear and bra in my hands and she got even redder.

(Rapunzel's POV)

I was mortified. I found out I had grabbed the wrong bag after my shower and hurried to give it to Jack. But when I got there, I saw my shopping bag lying open, the clothes out, and a bra and a panty in Jack's hands.

"Oh my god," was all I could say.

Jack shrugged a muscular shoulder as he slowly stuffed the clothes back in, carefully putting the bra and panty at the very bottom.

"It's fine," he said, looking at me with those bluish brown eyes of his. Then he strode towards me with the bag in one hand.

"So," he said. He was standing so close I could feel his warm breath on me. "Victoria's Secret, huh?" his voice was soft. I blushed. How did the Vikings know that was the brand I always wore?

He was stepping in my bubble.

"Bubble?" he chuckled, a low sound that intensified the butterflies in my stomach.

Oh no. Did I just say that out loud?

He was standing so close and I was wearing nothing but this towel. I took my eyes off the floor and studied him.

Wow. He looked even better up close. His denim jeans hung low, showing just a hint of his briefs. His blue shirt stretched across his muscular chest as he handed me the bag. I watched his biceps move in fascination as I swallowed and took the bag. Then I finally looked at his face. His eyes were….

Blue.

As in not brownish blue like before. Now it was ocean blue.

And it was breathtaking. His white hair was messed up and a few strands fell over his amazing eyes and my fingers itched to brush it away. Our faces were only inches away.

And so were our lips.

He leaned in slowly and I closed my eyes in anticipation. My heart was beating hard against my rib cage.

Just when I thought he was going to kiss me, he opened the door.

Of course. He only leaned over to get the door because I was in the way. I blushed crimson red and dashed out the door and into my room. I heard his deep chuckle across the room just before he shut his door. I shut mine and leaned against it, breathing like I've just run a marathon.

This is freaking me out. I haven't known him for a day yet now I'm acting like this?

But still I couldn't help the feeling of having sweaty palms, a pounding heart, and foggy brain whenever he's around. I needed to clear my head. I took a deep breath and slowly changed into a shirt I found in the bag and some shorts. I gathered my hair up in a messy bun and brushed my teeth.

Then I settled under the soft covers. Tomorrow our training begins. But I don't know what made me agree to this in the first place. Maybe it was the fact that some evil douche bags are going to destroy our parents' world which is now also ours. This is all getting clearer yet it's still confusing. But as I drifted off to sleep, I thought of the ocean; of how blue it was and how clear.

Just like Jack's eyes.

BANG

I sat up in a jolt. What the…?

I checked my watch; 1:03 AM.

The bang came again and I threw open the door. Turns out I wasn't the only one awake. Hiccup and Merida were already out, both looking sleepy eyed but alert.

Then the door across mine banged open and my mouth dropped.

Jack had the most perfect body ever created in the universe.

He wasn't wearing a shirt. His perfect chest was clean cut. His six-pack abs rippled as he held his staff as a weapon. His biceps bulged as he clenched and unclenched the staff. His hair was sticking out in different angles, making him look rough. His intense blue eyes and light stubble completed the look.

He wore the jeans he wore last night except the buttons were unbuttoned, indicating the sign that he was in a hurry to put it on when he woke up.

Which means he slept in only his briefs.

"Are you okay?" He asked me, his voice amused as he caught me staring. I snapped back to reality and nodded vigorously. I then wiped the back of my hand against my mouth to check that I wasn't drooling when he finally turned to Hiccup. He was shirtless as well, but he seemed a bit shorter and had more muscles than Jack.

But still, I've got my eyes on Jack.

"What happened?" Jack asked Hiccup.

"I don't know. I just heard a bang." The minute he said this, another bang came and Hiccup clutched his elbow.

"Ow!" he grunted, cradling his elbow. "Who hit me?"

Well that's just impossible considering the fact that he is standing right in the middle of the room and is taller than anything in the middle of the room; for example the table.

Hah. I remember my GIGANTIC Aunt Eunice coming for a visit and pouring tea. I would watch in both fascination and fear as she held the tiny teacup in her chubby fingers. I would imagine that tiny cup slipping from her grasp any second. I also remember our family having to install double doors just for her to fit in. She was HUGE and TALL.

Why did I just think of that? Well aren't I weird.

There was a crash and I jerked my head to the right to see where the commotion was at. And right there, sitting on the ledge of the window in the living room, sat a black dragon that was five times larger than my Aunt Eunice.

Haha. At least I found another living thing that's bigger than her.

(Hiccup's POV)

There's something or someone in my head. These aren't my thoughts, not my memories. Suddenly my vision is clearer and my smell keener. I could feel my back muscles contract and it feels like I'm flapping my invisible wings. I closed my eyes and opened them. But Merida was staring at me like I'd grown my grandfather's armpit hairs with bananas.

"Hiccup," she said, pointing at my eyes. "Your eyes are…. Different."

Great.

First I "hit" my elbow on something and now this?

Before I could do anything else, the window crashed and there sat a black dragon.

_Sup dude?_

I could only gape. The dragon was at least seven feet tall with large wings of about five feet. His golden eyes stared at mine and I swear I saw it smile.

_I have a name you know._ A voice said in my head. I couldn't hear it, but I can tell it was about my age judging by the deep rumbles it sent through my body. It was like hearing my own voice in my head, only deeper.

"Toothless," I said out loud. "Your name is Toothless."

In response the dragon SMILED. As in show-the-teeth smiled.

"DID YOU SEE THAT?" Merida practically screamed in my ear. "THAT FREAKING THING IS GASSY!"

Rapunzel gave her an exasperated look. "It's sometimes called a SMILE, Merida."

I stole a glance at her.

Worst mistake ever.

Well apart from that one time when I put super glue in Jack's underpants.

Her red curls were tied up in a bun and red tendrils stuck out. She wore a tank top and shorts, showing off her curves in just the right places. Her blue eyes had bags under them, but still she managed to look like the most beautiful girl in the world.

I couldn't look away. I felt a nudge on my shoulder and turned around to see Toothless right behind me.

_You're red as a beet Hiccup._ He peered down at me with those golden eyes of his.

_SO?! _I directed my thoughts to him.

This is weird. I just met this dragon and I'm acting like I've known it for years.

_Actually,_ Toothless said in my mind. _Your father rode me many years ago._

_Then why is it that I have this feeling that you're my age?_

_I'm immortal, genius._

_Of course. _I rolled my eyes.

I turned back to see the others staring at us.

"Both your eyes look the same," Rapunzel remarked. I went to the bathroom and sure enough, there were another pair of golden eyes staring back at me.

I panicked.

As if sensing it, Toothless spoke in my mind again.

_Don't worry. You'll learn how to control it tomorrow. _

For some strange reason, that calmed me down.

_How do I stop it now?_ I asked him in my mind.

_Imagine a wall closing around your eyes._

I did. And when I opened them again to look in the mirror, my green eyes were back.

Merida was in my face the next second.

"How did you do that?"

"Toothless," I shrugged. "We can communicate through our thoughts."

Her blue eyes widened.

Jack laughed. "I have a feeling that this is just the beginning…..?"

Toothless nodded. Rapunzel gasped.

"You are the cutest thing on earth!" She cooed.

In response Toothless cocked his head to one side and grinned, a long tongue falling out when Rapunzel started scratching his chin.

"You're so scaly!" She laughed.

Before long, Jack and Merida had joined and I watched as the four of them played in the living room; tickling, scratching, and laughing. I rolled my eyes.

"Come on, guys. We don't have time for fun. Training starts tomorrow."

Toothless stopped and looked at me; I could sense his seriousness.

_Enjoy it while you still can._ He spoke, no humor in his voice. _Tomorrow is just the beginning of something worse._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

(Merida's POV)

The bright morning sun streamed through my window and I groaned, pulling the covers over my head.

I waited and waited.

But nothing happened. No screaming, pulling of hairs, nor punching.

Then it hit me, everything that happened; Jack's staff, Hiccup's dragon, our training.

I groaned again and squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't want any of this to happen. Everything was going along just fine and now I'm involved in this mess.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Merida?" Hiccup's muffled voice sounded through the dark wood. "There's breakfast and we start training in thirty minutes."

I sighed. I knew the kind of guys he and Jack were; handsome, rich, smart, and everything a girl wants. They're also heart breakers. They've probably got numerous girls trailing behind them everywhere they go and they pick out the prettiest one, date her, and then leave her heartbroken by walking away. I fell for that once, and it's not happening again. No way am I getting my heart broken like that again. Hiccup was strictly in the friendship zone and if he tries to cross that line, I'm doomed.

When he heard nothing from me, I heard him sigh. "Okay. You know this is all going to be just fine, right?" When I still said nothing, he continued. "Well, I'll see you at breakfast then." And I heard his shoes click on the wooden floor as he walked away.

I sighed again and got up to get ready. I walked out the room and into the bathroom in the living room. I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I rarely put on make-up but when I do, I usually put on a little. Today, I didn't put any at all. It's just training anyway. I took a quick shower and headed back to my room. I took the shopping bag out and sorted through it. I found a few shirt and jeans; some panties and also a few bras. And I pulled out a strapless dark green dress that matched Hiccup's eyes. It was the kind of dress that my Mom would have picked out for me because it made me look more mature and hugged my every curve. I frowned; what is this for? Whatever.

None of these seemed fit for training, so I walked to the closet to check it out. I opened it and there lay my training outfit. I put it on and immediately noticed some things about it. The black pants stuck to my legs as if they were part of my skin. The shirt was also the same. The jacket also felt like the shirt and pants; part of my skin. But I noticed that the jacket had built in weapons in it. I reached in the jacket to find a knife that was lighter than a feather. I decided to test it out although I knew I wouldn't hit anything anyway. I aimed for the cup on the desk expecting for it to miss. But to my absolute surprise, the knife hit it right in the middle and nailed it to the wall. My eyes widened.

_Do not be fooled by these weak weapons_. I heard a voice and jerked around.

"Who's there?" I said, reaching in my jacket for another knife. Whatever the thing is, it chuckled and the sound made a shiver down my spine.

_You can't kill me because I AM YOU. I am your dark side, your strong self and if you release me, we will rule the world together._

The voice sounded evil, like a metallic sound that scraped against my bones.

Then suddenly I felt pain. Excruciating pain that made me scream and fall to my knees. The blood in my veins felt like they were burning with fire. My bones felt like they were shattering in a million pieces. In that moment I wished I could die.

And then, as suddenly as it had come, it was gone. I felt like I was a few minutes ago. The I willed myself to hear the voice again and get this settled. But instead of hearing the evil metallic voice, another one took its place.

_Don't worry Merida_. This voice sounded breathless._ I took care of him. _This voice sounded friendlier and it definitely sounded like me.

"Who are you?" I said out loud. "And what did you do with the other guy?"

_I'm your good form._ The voice replied. _The other guy won't be bothering you for a while for now. I'm also your bear form._

_MY WHAT?_ I tried communicating with my mind. It worked.

_Your bear form. _The voice replied. _The evil voice you heard was also another bear form but stronger and more evil. I'm also Merida, but the other one was Mordu. _

_Who's Mordu?_ I asked as I made my way to breakfast, which was obviously in Stoick's house.

_Mordu is this evil Prince bear that your mother signed a contract with._

_What contract?_

_The contract that says if she agreed to let him control her, he would give her the world. Your mother, eager for power, signed it and Mordu entered her. Luckily, the Brothers of the Sun and Moon saw that and added another form in you to stop Mordu from taking full control; Me._

_Why didn't they just take Mordu out of my mother?_

_The contract is a powerful thing_. The voice replied. _Not even the Brothers could stop it._

_But why do I have it now? _I asked as I opened the giant doors to Stoick's house.

_You have your mother's immortal blood now. So basically her Source is now in you._

I frowned as I took a seat next to Rapunzel. She also wore the training outfit except hers had an amulet of some sort on the left side of her jacket chest. I looked down at mine and saw the same thing only it had a dark green form of a bear. Rapunzel's was gold and had some sort of a flower in it.

When she saw me, she smiled and hugged me then whispered in my ear, "They've got bacon." I felt a smile tug on my lips. I love bacon and they have it here. I looked around the table and saw Jack and Hiccup sitting across us. They were wearing the same clothes as us and they also had amulets, but their amulets were also different. Hiccup's was a red dragon. Jack's was of a blue frost. Their outfits were the same as mine, but it looked like it was the same piece as the pants. I looked closer and noticed both their jackets were zippered. I zipped mine up and the jacket attached itself to my pants, making it look as if it was alive. My eyes widened again. How much more amazing stuff am I going to see today?

I dug in my plate which was filled with bacon and eggs.

"Want some?" Hiccup handed me a box of-

WHAAAT? CEREAL?!

A miracle come true.

(Jack's POV)

At breakfast, we saw Stoick, Merida and Rapunzel. There were only five of us eating. The table was built around the bonfire place only there was no fire. The food was delicious. But what surprised me is that the food here is exactly like the food we have on earth.

When I woke up this morning the first thing I did was go to my closet. To my surprise a suit was already prepared inside. It was exactly my size. I took a quick shower and put on the suit. And on my way out I grabbed my staff. Outside the door I bumped into Hiccup.

"Looks like you got the suit too," he remarked.

"Yeah," I said, and then noticed something. "Except your suit's amulet is a red dragon and mine's a blue frost."

"Hmm." Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed. "How did they know which room we were going to choose? Or maybe they put it there _after_ we chose the rooms."

Hiccup made a point. These people are starting to creep me out.

At the end of the massive table, Stoick stood. "Now if you're all done with your breakfasts I suggest you come with me to your training ground."

In response Merida belched and we laughed. We all got up from our seats and followed him out. The moment we walked out the door the bright morning sun warmed my face. I closed my eyes and on instinct, took a deep breath. The bright early morning smelled fresh and the wind ruffled my hair. It felt good.

We followed Stoick down a narrow path, his giant frame blocking most of the wind from my face.

Haha.

I remembered my father all of a sudden. One minute I was making fun of Stoick in my head and now my Dad's face pops up. I remember skating in the ice with him when I was little. I remember asking him if I could have superpowers like Superman.

"We each have our own powers, son," he chuckled as he lay a big hand on my tiny shoulder.

I cocked my head to the side. "What do you mean?"

He smiled and pointed to the frozen lake beneath our skates. "This is ours."

"Ice?" I was confused.

His brown eyes were serious. "That's right, son." He placed my tiny hand on top of the lake, "Ice."

I guess I kind of believed him. When I'm around snow I feel more powerful, freer. I loved the cold sting it gave my cheeks when I get hit by a snowball, the freezing cold it gives my fingers when I touch it. Now here I am, one of the most powerful weapons in the universe in my hands. Apparently it involves ice. Lots and lots of ice.

I was jarred from my thoughts when I bumped into Stoick's back. He had stopped. He turned and looked at us.

"Welcome to the Arena." The place was huge. It resembled a giant sphere and it was pure white. It looked so out of place in this village. But then again there are a lot of unexpected things here. Stoick strode forward and talked to one of the guards standing guard at the giant, white, flawless door.

The guards' suits were the same as ours only theirs were white. Both of them stood on each side of the door; legs apart, hands behind their backs and no weapons. When Stoick finished, the guard nodded and flicked his wrist upward, causing the door to open.

Stoick nodded his head. "Let's go."

We walked in and inside was a white, large, open space. I'm guessing this is the arena where they train. Stoick lead us past that and into an elevator; another thing that surprised me. The elevator looked like a giant medicine capsule.

"How are we supposed to go up?" Rapunzel asked as we filed in and Stoick pressed a button. "It doesn't have wires and cables."

Stoick just smiled and to my complete and utter shock the elevator floated. "It has an anti-gravitational cube attached at the very bottom. These buttons are attached to it so we can control it." He pointed to the neon blue buttons. The elevator stopped and we got off. This room was pure white as well. There were white, modern chairs and a clear looking glass that overlooks the large arena. Stoick gestured to the seats and we sat down.

"I'll be back shortly," he said, exiting the room. Meanwhile, we sat, looking at the room. There were a few buttons on the left side of the room, but apart from that and the chairs, the room was bare.

"This is strange, somehow," Hiccup remarked, breaking the silence. We all nodded in agreement and Stoick walked back in.

My eyes bulged. He had changed into a white suit. He even had a white tie. All our jaws dropped.

"Wha-"

"How did you…"

"Huh?"

We all stammered. Stoick laughed. "I though your parents told you about this place, you know, the Viking ways of doing things. But we moved on quickly and we wanted to break it to you slowly." We were still in shock.

"Well, obviously they didn't tell you about this place at all so we can stop hiding."

Not able to say anything, we just nodded. We sat back down and Stoick moved to the side of the room and pressed one of the buttons. We glanced down at the arena just as a small door opened. A girl walked out. She had blonde hair that was braided. She wore the same suit as the girls and from this angle I could see that her amulet was just like Hiccup's. I then realized that the guards also had that same amulet. She was about our age, only I could sense that she was older too. She looked up and met Stoick's eyes.

"I'm ready, sir." She said, her voice filling the room through the speakers that I didn't notice; speakers that were under our chairs. I saw Stoick nod in the corner of my eye and he pressed another button. To my fascination, the arena transformed into a green forest; it was like looking at another world.

"She can't see us anymore, but she can hear us. We can hear her as well, but we can also see her." Stoick explained. "I want to you to watch and learn from her."

Then he turned back to the controls and spoke. "Ruffnut, Eliminate five vampires." He did something at the controls and at about five miles away, I saw five vampires appear. This thing is amazing. It's like we can zoom in a location without moving in our chairs. We can see EVERYTHING.

The vampires were pale, that much I can tell from the death black cloaks they were wearing; probably to block out the sun.

"Commencing elimination," Ruffnut smiled.

Seriously, the people here have weird names.

Ruffnut reached into her jacket and took out the largest hammer I have ever seen in my life. How can something that big fit into something that small? I watched in amazement as she held it in one hand as she ran like a deer across the forest. She was swift and agile, never missing a beat. As she ran, the vampires moved.

I blinked and they were gone.

In a heartbeat, vampire number one had found Ruffnut. He hid in the shadows of the trees and took off his hood. He looked perfect yet ugly at the same time. His face was flawless. Even as a guy, I have to admit he is pretty good looking too. But of course I didn't say that out loud. The vampire's eyes were blood red. It growled and I caught a glimpse of sharp fangs. He jumped off the tree and ran full speed towards Ruffnut. I wanted to yell at her to turn around, but I sat frozen. Everything happened so fast, but to me it was in slow motion. In a split second Ruffnut turned around and smashed the hammer in the vampire's face. The moment it made contact with his face, something like an explosion happened. The force was so strong the trees around them cracked and fell, the the powerful wind from the hammer cause the grass underneath their feet to flatten. The vampire's head snapped open and he disappeared.

"One down, four to go," I heard her breathless voice as she continued her pursuit. The other four vampires, hearing the explosion, ran away from her and into a large tree where they climbed on it and sat to wait. Ruffnut kept running, never breaking a sweat. When she got to the tree, all four vampires pounced on her, scratching at her and making her bleed. I could tell they were too strong for her by the way she was cowering in the ground. Then I saw her summon her strength and hit them with the hammer and another explosion occurred. The vampires flew away but immediately got up again as if nothing had happened. Ruffnut, injured and bleeding, ran for refuge at a bush nearby.

"Requesting back-up from my brother, sir," she panted as she cradled her broken arm. Rapunzel noticed it and gasped.

"Don't worry," Stoick said. "It will heal in a matter of minutes." And it did. I watched the wounds close up and she rotated her arms to test it.

"Request granted." Stoick's baritone rumbled. The moment he said that, a door opened out of thin air and a boy and a dragon with two heads ran out. The boy had blonde hair but that was all I could make out as he ran to his sister. He spoke to her in a low voice and glared at the vampires. He stood and so did Ruffnut. He reached in his jacket and pulled out a giant axe. Vampire number two moved and attacked Ruffnut, sending her flying. The boy ran to her but she held up her hand. He nodded and turned back to the other three vampires.

"Dragon, to my side," his voice was deep and lethal for a teenager. One of the vampires sped forward to him and he yelled as he swiped his axe upward, cutting the vampire's body in half. It disappeared and the other vampire attacked. The boy swung it again but the vampire was fast and dodged it. He pounced on the boy and began clawing at his neck. The green two-headed dragon roared and swiped his tail. It swatted the vampire off like a fly. The boy quickly jumped to his feet and took the opportunity to swipe his axe down and cut the vampire's blood curdling scream. I averted my gaze to find Ruffnut smiling at the side as she watched him. The boy laughed and hit her in the back of the head.

"Since when did you need back up?" he smiled at her as the forest turned back to its normal arena.

Ruffnut rolled her eyes, "Training complete."

They entered a small door at the side of the arena and Stoick turned to us.

"That was," Merida breathed. "A bit intense, don't you think?"

Stoick smiled. "That's what training here is like."

"But I don't think we'll survive that," Rapunzel exclaimed. And just as she did, the elevator opened; Ruffnut and her brother walked out. They looked exactly alike except for their heights and hairs. Up close, Ruffnut had a long, braided, blond hair. It was pale blonde, not gold, like Rapunzel's. She was tall for a girl, about five foot eight or something.

Her brother also had the same shade of hair as hers only his hair was cropped short, reaching only to his ears. He was about my height; six foot three. His face looked exactly like Ruffnut's only manlier somehow.

"I'm Tuffnut, Ruffnut's twin," he gestured to himself as he smiled, identical to his sister's. We all introduced ourselves and Stoick cleared his throat.

"Why don't you take the four of them to the arena? Let them have their first training."

(Hiccup's POV)

I could feel myself shaking; of excitement or fear, I don't really know. We all went in the elevator and when we got to the arena, Stoick turned to us.

"You four get along. I have some business to attend to," then he turned to me. "Your other grandfather on earth is my parallel version. However he isn't as fun or as good looking as me." He winked as he answered my unspoken question. I liked him immediately.

"Come on, then," Ruffnut tilted her head towards the arena as Stoick walked out the door. "Let's get your weapons first."

They led us to a wall at the side of the arena and Tuffnut pressed a button. The wall dissolved and numerous weapons took its place. Ruffnut reached in and took a big bow that reached to my chest. She handed it to Merida.

"This was your mother's favorite bow," she said as Merida took it. The bow was so big it reached to her chin.

"This is as light as a feather," Merida exclaimed as she balanced the bow in her hand.

"Actually," Tuffnut laughed. "It weighs about ninety kilograms, but because of your Source, the Bear, you have the strength to carry it. An average human being wouldn't be able to carry this with a single hand."

He reached in again and took out a giant sword. Man, everything here is giant.

He handed it to me.

"This sword connects with you and Toothless' emotions, Hiccup," he said. At the mention of my dragon's name, the main door opened and in strode Toothless, a smile plastered on his face.

_Good morning!_ He said in my head as he flopped down beside me. Even sitting down, he was still bigger than my six foot two build. I handed the sword back to Tuffnut long enough to pat Toothless.

_I had the best breakfast today_ he said. _I saved some for you._ He gagged and something fell on my hands. Something wet, slimy, slippery, and very smelly. I looked down to see a head of a giant tuna.

"Ew!"

"Gross!"

"Disgusting!"

"That's terrible!"

Remarks like this swirled around me. I saw Merida run to the side of the arena and empty her breakfast.

I tried to hide my gag and keep my vomit down; I looked at Toothless.

_Sorry, boy_, I told him in my mind. _I'm sure my dad loved this, but I'm not my dad._ I handed the head back to him and he swallowed it whole.

_That's alright_ he winked. _Your father didn't like it either._

I laughed and started to pick up the sword again. Tuffnut stopped me.

"The sword is most powerful when you and Toothless are together," he said. "Close your eyes and envision chains holding down your sword. If you don't do this, the sword will act on its own will and possibly kill one of us." I nodded and closed my eyes. I could feel my friends moving away from me as I focused. I imagined chains holding the sword down. I was perspiring from my concentration to hold the sword at bay. I could feel Toothless' power inside me, encouraging me.

Then I heard a voice.

It was Merida. "Hey, do any of you guys have-"

She was right beside me.

Everything happened so fast. Ruffnut yelled at Merida to get out of the way but it was too late. The sword moved and I opened my eyes just as the sword lurched.

And drove itself right in Merida's stomach.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

(Rapunzel's POV)

No.

It can't be.

Merida let out a strangled choke and fell to the ground in a heap. There was blood; lots of blood. Hiccup had dropped the sword and fell to his knees; his face a mixture of horror and deep sadness. Merida was trying to breathe but each breath came out a gasp. I ran to her as fast as I can.

"Oh god no," I sobbed. "Come back Merida!" I was sobbing and screaming yet I didn't care. I've lost so much. My parents are gone, my brother, and my joy. She and my grandma were all I had left. Everyone in school thinks I'm a freakish orphan.

Until she came. She understood me and never left my side. She helped me gain friends but none of them could equal to her. I can't bear to lose another person again.

I just can't.

But I knew. I knew there was nothing else I could do but hold her in my arms.

"Rapunzel," She wheezed and coughed, blood pouring out from the sides of her mouth. She took her hand from clutching her stomach and rested it at the sides of my face. "You're not alone, Punzie," There were tears in her blue eyes and she let them fall. My tears fell on her face as I brushed her hair away. "I'll be here." She weakly pointed to my heart.

I cried harder. I never cry. I knew that crying was my weakness and I vowed never to let those tears fall. That vow was many years ago, when my parents died. I never lost a tear since.

Until now.

She coughed and another fresh amount of blood poured out. She clutched my jacket as she spoke her last words.

"I need you to be strong, Rapunzel."

I just couldn't take it anymore. As the medics came to help her I gently laid her limp body down and shoved my way out the door. But before I could run, a firm hand gripped my arm.

"You can't leave her now, Rapunzel," Stoick said.

Anger boiled up inside of me as I clenched my fists at my side.

"We never should have stayed here," I said through my clenched teeth. Stoick noticed it and something like fear crossed his eyes.

"Rapunzel," he said his voice low. "I need you to calm down. Through your anger, your Source can set itself free. And believe me, when it's free, you have the power to shift this planet."

I let his words sink in and forced myself to calm down. But when I did, I broke into a fresh round of tears. Stoick placed a large hand on my shoulder.

"What is my Source?" I said through my tears.

Stoick smiled. "Well, you can heal."

That perked me up. "Can I heal Merida?" I said, my voice hopeful. "Now?"

Stoick's smile disappeared and he shook his head sadly. "I believe Merida is dead, and only you can bring her back to life."

I felt new hope dawn on me.

Then Stoick continued. "But you don't have enough power for your Source to bring a person back to life."

"I'll help," Jack said, overhearing our conversation. "I can probably tap my Source with hers."

I smiled and felt a nudge on my shoulder. I looked down to see Toothless nudging his head against my elbow to comfort me. Beside him, Hiccup spoke.

"Let's do this."

I smiled greatfully at them and together we walked back to Merida's lifeless body.

"But you haven't learned to use your Source yet," Ruffnut said to the three of us. Obviously she had overheard our conversation as well. "What if something goes wrong?"

"I have faith in them, Ruffnut," Stoick said as we walked. "After all, they are the Chosen Ones of the Big Four."

Then he turned to me. "Rapunzel, the way to handle your Source is different. To heal, just imagine the wounds closing and it will happen. To bring a person back to life, you must first retrieve her soul from the underworld," I gave him a surprised look but he continued. "To take a soul from Hades by force, the risk is high. But I believe in you."

"How am I going to take her soul from there?"

"Try to reach in your Source. Feel it. Familiarize yourself with it. Once you understand the Source, it will guide you to the soul you want to take."

I nodded and kneeled down beside Merida. Stoick cleared the arena of the medics. Jack kneeled down at me left side and Hiccup at my right. Toothless sat behind the three of us.

I looked down at Merida's cold lifeless body and choked back tears. I need to be strong.

I closed my eyes and focused.

A jolt hit me but I didn't open my eyes. Behind my eyelids there was darkness, but right after the strange jolt of power there was light. I dug deeper and a figure appeared. My eyes were still closed, but I could see her; long, golden hair like mine, green fathomless eyes full of love for me.

It was my Mom.

She was so beautiful. Her form was tall and slim and she wore a silky white dress. She walked towards me gracefully and touched my face gently.

"You've grown so much, my golden flower," her voice was just like I remembered. I blinked back tears and hugged her.

"Mom," I sobbed. "I've missed you so much." She smelled like the freshest morning. Like the air of first morning light.

She smoothed my hair. "I'm sorry I left," her voice was soft. "I could never forgive myself."

"No," I mumbled, pulling back to look at her. Her smile was sad and I stared into her green eyes. "It wasn't your fault the road was slippery."

She laughed softly, like the bells. "You're so much like your father. But right now, I'm your Source. I will always be here."

I smiled. "So are you going to help me find Merida?"

"Of course," she smiled. "I'll be right back." She walked away and I was tempted to scream at her to come back, but I stayed put; knowing that this time, yes, she's still coming back.

A moment later she reappeared, this time with Merida's soul behind her. Merida still looked the same, except her eyes were close and she was floated three feet off the ground.

"This is our realm," my mother spoke. "The Realm of Souls. I can take souls here, but for you to take it, you have to break this invisible wall." She motioned for me to come closer and I did. I reached for Merida but my fingers made contact with something solid. I realized it was the invisible wall.

"How am I supposed to break it?" I asked her.

"The only way to break it is to push," she replied. "You can't punch it nor kick it otherwise it will grow stronger."

I tried pushing as hard as I can but nothing. My Mom started helping me as well, but we couldn't break this wall that surrounded Merida.

Then I had an idea.

"Mom," I said, turning to her. "Can you let my friends in?"

"Now that I can do," with a wave of her hand Jack, Hiccup, and Toothless appeared.

"Whoa," Jack said. "It's like we landed on pony land or something."

Hiccup gave him a look. "Really man? That is _not_ how you play it."

"Can I please get some help here?" I was getting annoyed.

"Oh, right, right." They both said and came over to help. Hiccup looked at Merida.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "This was my entire fault."

Jack put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry man. We'll get her."

I nodded. "Alright now you guys have to help me push this."

"Why don't we just find something hard to break it?" Jack asked.

"Well if you do that this thing will get stronger," I explained. "So we have to push it open."

"Well that's stupid," Hiccup mumbled but got in position to push it.

"One, two, three!" We pushed and pushed. It didn't budge.

I looked at Mom. "Can we use our Sources?"

She looked thoughtful. "I guess so," she replied. "I've never tried that before but let's give it a go."

I nodded and Jack pulled out his staff. He closed his eyes and blue frost poured out from his staff; into the wall. Hiccup took out his sword and it went up in flames.

Apparently I found out that his sword can shoot out fire. Toothless also started shooting blue beams of fire from his mouth and together the three of them fired at the wall.

"How can I help?" I probably sounded really pathetic now but I wanted to help too. My Mom turned to me.

"Think of a large hand that is pushing the wall," she said. "And push as hard as you can."

I did. I thought of a huge transparent hand that was pushed the wall.

It cracked.

Jack, Hiccup, and Toothless kept firing. I pushed so hard my head hurt.

Then suddenly it just shattered and Merida's soul disappeared.

"Where did she go?" I was panicking.

"Don't worry," my Mom said. "Just open your eyes now."

I opened my eyes to find Merida in my arms. Jack, Hiccup, and Toothless all scrambled to my side. Stoick leaned over us. Ruffnut and Tuffnut stood nearby, waiting.

_Please work_ I silently pleaded in my mind. _Please, Please._

Merida groaned and my heart leaped with unfathomable joy.

She frowned and opened her eyes.

"Rapunzel," she croaked. "Remember that guy that kidnapped us when we were seven and died of a heart attack three days later?"

I laughed and hugged her as tight as I could.

"What about him?" I asked; my face was wet with happy tears.

Merida smiled and sat up. "He said hi."

(Hiccup's POV)

Merida was alive.

But I still felt guilty.

_It's not your fault, you know._ Toothless sat at my side. _The sword had a mind of its own._

I nodded and continued looking at Rapunzel holding Merida and talking to her. Jack, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Stoick had gathered around her. I looked up to see other kids that were around our age milling around the arena. They all had their training suits on and were looking at the scene.

"Why don't you kids go out and celebrate?" Stoick said.

"Where?" Jack asked.

"Why on earth of course," Stoick replied. "Now that you've opened the portal, you can come and go as you please. However, do not be gone for more than 24 hours or you Sources will disappear."

"Isn't that a good thing, then?" I asked and I felt Toothless' hurt. I turned to him. _I'm sorry boy, that's not what I meant._

_No it's alright, _he smiled at me but his gold eyes told otherwise.

"No it's not," Stoick said. "Only the four of you can defeat the Evil side and the universe needs you right now." Stoick continued. "Not the Justice League, Avengers, nor the other heroes combined can defeat them."

"Wait," Merida held up a hand. "The Avengers are real?"

"Yes, they are," Stoick said. "Anything you've read and seen on television or books, are real, except they live in different dimensions. This isn't the only parallel world, you know."

"No, we do not know," Rapunzel frowned. "So only the four of us can completely defeat the enemy?"

"You, the Greek gods, and angels," Ruffnut said. "The others can harm them or damage them enough to slow them down, but they can't really kill them."

Merida rolled her eyes. "Never mind. I just came back to life and the last thing I need is a talk about those."

She stood up and we walked out.

The others walked in front of us, on the way to the village. Merida and I were at the back of them.

I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry. I, uh, shouldn't have lost focus of the sword."

She nodded but wouldn't meet my eyes. "I forgive you. I know it was an accident. I'm just so sick of this situation our parents ran away from to let us do it." She slowed down and so did I to match her pace.

"I can't imagine leaving Rapunzel like that," she said, her voice soft. "She had lost so much."

I nodded slowly, not knowing what to say.

"Do you like me?" I suddenly blurted out.

_Ooh. That escalated quickly_ I could hear Toothless' laugh in my head even when he was far ahead.

_Shut up,_ I replied and I heard his chuckle in my head.

Merida had completely stopped now. I felt my face redden. I've never felt like this around a girl before. I was never shy.

Except when I'm around her.

Then she laughed. "If you're talking about the crush kind of like, then no." I was hurt but I quickly hid it. So I laughed with her.

"Haha yeah that was stupid," I said, as we stopped laughing. "I don't like you like that either." I lied and I saw something like hurt flash across her features but she masked it surprisingly well.

We resumed walking and I felt like everything was ok.

"Are you sure, though?" I couldn't keep my mouth shut. "You know a lot of girls would kill to be with me. Want to be one of them?" I meant it as a joke but when I saw her expression I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth.

Her blue eyes were fiery. "You think I'm like other girls?" she walked away from me. Then she said over her shoulder, "Well, you don't know me at all."

She stomped away and Toothless walked beside me.

_Well that went well_ he said. _Are you naturally that horrible at joking with girls?_

I punched him lightly at the shoulders. _What do you know about girls? _I laughed. However I didn't laugh on the inside. Deep inside I was hurt that she would reject me. I sighed. She was one complicated girl.

But I was determined to win her.

Back at Stoick's house he gave us each a tracking bracelet with built in walki-talkies. It was really cool. After giving us strict instructions to come back in less than 24 hours, we headed back to our house to change. We walked to the white condo (Did I mention those horns and furs were disguises? And that the Dragons were supposed to perch _inside_? Yeah.) When we got in, Jack spoke.

"I'm kind of getting the hang of this," He said. "But I'm still a bit overwhelmed by the demons and such."

Rapunzel nodded as she headed to her room, "Same with me."

I nodded my agreement and headed in my room. Toothless followed.

_Hey dude,_ he said, sitting down. _Do you mind handing me that purple drink? It's inside your drawer. _

I nodded and opened the drawer to take it. What I found was a small vial with some sort of purple liquid inside. I handed it to him and he gave me a look.

_Hellooo? I have paws. P-A-W-S not hands. How do you expect me to drink that like that?_

I rolled my eyes and helped him drink it.

When he had swallowed the last drop, he started changing.

His wings shrunk until they were gone.

His ears got smaller.

His tail got shorter and so did his body.

In place of a once huge dragon now stood a huge black dog.

I stood there with my mouth agape.

_What? Never seen a Great Dane before?_ He chuckled, amused at my expression.

"You, Toothless, are full of surprises," I gave him a playful scratch behind his ears. He was huge for a dog, reaching to my waist when he sat down.

_You should stop that and get dressed,_ Toothless said, wriggling out of my grasp reluctantly.

I chuckled and changed into fitting jeans and a white shirt. I found some shoes in the bag and put them on.

Hmm. Black Vans.

I took my leather jacket and motioned for Toothless.

"Come on, boy, Time to party."

I walked outside to find the other already dressed and waiting for me. Their eyes widened when they saw Toothless but I spoke for him.

"Disguise. Toothless can't walk around without being seen in his dragon form."

"Oh." They all said. They all wore jeans and shirts, but I especially liked Merida's.

"You guys ready?" Jack said.

"Ready," we said in unison and each looked at his eyes.

Jack's eyes glowed and the staff turned neon blue again.

Then everything went black.

Again.

Turns out, he had dropped us a mere inch from the pool. Any more close and I would have killed him.

No one noticed we had just appeared out of thin air. Everyone was too busy drinking and dancing. There were a lot of people here, and the music was loud.

"Where are we?" I yelled.

"I'm pretty sure this is Dani's house." Merida replied.

"Is he a guy?"

"Yep."

Sudden jealousy burned though me and I forced it down. I turned to Toothless and said, "You'd better wait outside." He happily obeyed and bounded off.

I turned around to find the three of them gone and three girls took their place.

"Wow, that was a big dog. Is it yours?" The girl with blonde hair asked. She wore more skin than clothes and smelled like alcohol.

"Uh yes, it was." I replied, trying to be polite.

She sidled closer. Her other friends were already jumping in the pool, screaming and laughing.

"I'm Cindy." Her voice sounded low and husky.

"I'm Hiccup," I replied as she started running her hands up my chest.

She laughed a low sound that sounded different compared to Merida's.

Stop it. She rejected you, remember?

I gave her my most charming smile and tilted my head down to hers.

So what? I do this all the time. And she's pretty.

But Merida is beautiful.

I quickly shoved that thought out of my mind as she tipped on her toes to meet me.

But something caught my eye.

Merida was dancing. She was breathtaking. Her red hair shined even in the dark. Her moves were graceful yet firm. Her eyes were close, as if lost in a trance. I was lost in her too.

Then a guy with big beefy arms started dancing with her from behind, putting his huge hands on her waist. Merida's eyes popped open and she politely put his hands away. But the guy was obviously drunk. He won't stop touching her.

Then I saw red.

I broke away from Cindy and before I could think, rammed the guy down to the ground and started pounding in his face. I heard gasps sounding around me and Merida's screams to stop. But I didn't.

She put her hand on my arm and yanked me off with surprisingly strong strength.

Oh yeah. Her Source.

Beefy Guy stood up, putting a hand to his bleeding nose.

"What's wrong with you, man?" His voice was slurred. "We're not finished."

And with that he stomped off leaving me with a red-faced Merida and bloody hands.

(Merida's POV)

How dare he? That smarty pants is allowed to make out with Cindy but I'm not touchable?

That's it.

I shoved at his chest and walked away.

"Why did you do that?" I was yelling. "You can't control my life."

"He was touching you," he said, his voice dangerous.

"So what," I turned to face him. "What if I like him? The most popular jock in school."

Hiccup's stare was dark. "I don't care if he's the president if he touches you one more time he's dead."

People were starting to stare now so I walked away and into the house.

"Wait," Hiccup held my elbow. Immediately a zap of electricity hit my body and I shivered at his touch.

"Do you really like him?" The words were soft as I turned around to hold his gaze. Hid eyes were the darkest green to get lost in. But I kept my wall up and looked defiantly at him.

"Well you seem to really like Cindy back there," I snapped and yanked my arm away from his grip.

"It wasn't like that-"

"Oh it wasn't, was it?" I felt tears threatening to come out but I held them back, not wanting to show him that I was weak. "With her touching you like that and you responding?"

I glared at him and walked in the house, needing a drink.

After a few shots, I was clearly drunk. Everything was blurry and fuzzy but I could still make out my surroundings. The music's drums beat along with my heart as I danced. I saw Rapunzel and Jack and went over to them.

"What are you two lovebirds talking about?" I slurred. "You should be called love humans, not love birds because you're humans not birds."

"Are you drunk, Merida?" Rapunzel sounded surprised.

Jack nodded as I bumped into a stranger and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"She's drunk and we've got to get back. I'll go tell Hiccup to take care of her," Jack said as he stood up from the table.

A few minutes later I heard Hiccup's voice.

"Come on, redhead," he said in my ear as he helped me walk out. "Time to get going."

Everything was still quite fuzzy as we walked down the sidewalk. I bumped in a mailbox and gave it a dark look.

"Some idiot jumped right in front of me and hit me in the guts with a pink stick," I muttered to Hiccup, who only laughed and said,

"You're really drunk, Mer."

I could barely make them out, but Rapunzel and Jack were walking right in front of us, talking with their voices low.

Suddenly Hiccup stopped me. I shook my head to clear my vision and some sort of teenager held Rapunzel's throat in hand, and Jack in another.

"Well, you're a mighty good-looking creature," I purred and I heard Stoick's voice in my bracelet;

_Merida, do you copy? Do not engage with him. He is the demon that escaped._

What a part pooper.


End file.
